Boy King
by IDieOnTheInside
Summary: AU to "All Hell Breaks Loose" Part One (2x21). What if Sam didn't die that night? What if Jake died and Sam was the last man standing? WARNING: MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural.**

 **Things you need to know:**

 **The yellow-eyed demon's name is Azazel.**

 **Jake is one of Azazel's "special children," and his power is super strength.**

 **Big thanks to my Beta _Alytiger_ for proofreading this story! She'll be my Beta for all of the Boy King chapters.**

* * *

Sam dodges to the side, Jake's fist lodging itself in the wood. Three knee strikes and Jake falls to the ground, hand freed. As Jake stands up, Sam kicks him hard in the stomach, knocking him through the fence onto the ground. Jake struggles to stand as Sam picks up the metal rod Jake set down earlier. A hard uppercut to the throat and Jake is once again lying on the ground. Sam slowly approaches Jake, rod in hand, and raises it above his head. Sam brings the rod down to his side.

"Sam!" Dean's yell pierces through the night air. Sam turns, relief filling his body as he shuffles over to his brother.

"Dean" he croaks, a smile filling his face.

"Sam, look out!" Dean yells.

Sam turns and strikes Jake across the temple with the metal rod still clutched in his left hand. Jake falls to the ground, knife falling from his lifeless hand.

Dean runs up to Sam and gives him a hug, releasing slightly as Sam hisses with pain. "I think my shoulder might be dislocated." Sam admits sheepishly.

Bobby checks Jake for a pulse, careful to keep his gun trained on him. "Damn it, Sam. You killed him."

Sam's knees give out from underneath him. Dean crouches down in front of him, worried.

"I killed him?" Sam asks quietly.

* * *

Silence fills the air around the fire. Bobby is leaning against a fallen tree, hat over his face, drifting off to sleep. Dean is keeping watch, shotgun across his lap, refusing to rest until he is sure his brother is safe. Sam is sitting up against a tree, arm in the makeshift sling Dean made him from his red flannel shirt.

"Don't blame yourself. It was an act of self-defense." Dean's voice is filled with worry.

Sam snorts. "How am I supposed to feel, Dean? The yellow-eyed demon wanted me to kill Jake, and I did. Doesn't that make me no better than him?"

Dean rubs a hand over his face and sighs. "Sam, he was going to kill you. You had your chance to kill him before and _walked away_. You are way better than that yellow-eyed son of a bitch."

"Maybe not. Do you know what I am? I'm a monster. I'm the reason mom died." Dean starts to protest, but Sam cuts him off. "Yes I am. The only reason mom died that night was because the demon was there for _me_. She just happened to be in the..." Azazel's words echoed in Sam's head, "wrong place, wrong time."

Dean tilted his head to the left. "What are you talking about, Sam?"

Now it was Sam's turn to sigh. "The yellow-eyed demon was there to feed me his... his... his blood. Mom walked in as he was dripping it into my mouth. I have demon blood in me, Dean." Sam finished and looked away, unable to look his brother in the face, ashamed of what he was.

Dean stood up and sat down on Sam's left side. He wrapped his right arm around Sam and pulled his close.

"Sam, demons lie. How do you know he was telling the truth? Maybe he just wanted to throw you for a loop, make you think you are evil so you'll do what he wants you to do."

Sam pulled out of his brother's grasp. "Dean, it wasn't some trick. I have demon blood in me." Sam walks over to the other side of the fire. "How else do you explain my visions? It makes sense, Dean."

Dean stands up, staring at his brother across the fire. "So what? Let's say you do have demon blood in you. Are you going to ignore all the good you've done? Or are you going to suddenly go dark side on me? This doesn't change anything, Sam. You're still you. No one has a bigger heart than you do. If anyone can ignore the pull of evil, it's you."

Sam sat down, his back to Dean. "I guess so." Dean sighs in frustration behind him. Sam lies down, careful of his shoulder. "I'm going to get some rest. Wake me at first light."

* * *

"Howdy Sammy-boy."

Sam bolts upwards as he hears a familiar rough voice.

"I'm proud of you, champ. I knew you had it in you." Yellow eyes look approvingly at Sam. "Well, if we are going to be partners now, why don't I formally introduce myself?" He sticks his hand out between them, "I'm Azazel." Azazel winks at Sam.

"Partners? No way am I helping you. Once I get out of this dream, me and my brother will hunt you down and kill you."

The hand between them drops. Azazel shakes his head back and forth.

"Sam, Sam, Sam. When will you learn? You don't have a choice in the matter. Well, you do, but we both know you'll do what's best for your family."

Sam stiffens at the implied threat. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"C'mon Sammy. You're a smart boy. Did you really think I'd just let you walk away while I have an army that needs to be lead?" Azazel starts to circle Sam as realization hits.

"You wouldn't!" Sam spins around to see Azazel has disappeared.

His voice echoes throughout the surrounding woods. "Oh, but I would. If you don't help me, then you can kiss the ones you love goodbye. Ellen. Bobby. _Dean_. All dying a horrible death if you don't do what I say."

Sam swallowed. "What do I have to do?"

Azazel appeared at Sam's shoulder. "Atta-boy! Ditch Dean and Bobby and meet me at some railroad tracks. Just follow the map I left you in your pocket." He winks. "I knew you'd win."

* * *

 **I would love to hear from you guys to see what you think, where you think the story should go. Don't be afraid to review/message me!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural or the characters in this story.  
**

 **Sorry if the story seems to be moving slowly. I promise it'll pick up in the next chapter.**

* * *

Sam wakes up with a start. Dean looks over at him with concern. "I was just about to wake you. Bad dream?"

Sam looks up at the sky. The pink rays made the woods around him seem innocent, as if the horrors of the previous night didn't happen.

"Sam?" Dean's voice brings Sam out of his thoughts.

"It's nothing. I'm fine." Sam wants to tell Dean what happened, what Azazel told him, but he can't. Lives are on the line. Speaking of lives...

"Where's Bobby?" Sam looks questioningly around the long burnt out fire. Bobby is nowhere to be seen.

"He went back to the truck. We're supposed to meet him there. He doesn't do so well with sleeping on the ground." Dean jokes.

Sam can see right through Dean's façade. Bobby doesn't mind sleeping on the ground. Dean wants to talk to him about what happened, and Bobby is giving them space. Dean doesn't normally do anything relatively close to "chick-flick" moments, so Sam lets Dean play his hand.

Dean finishes packing up as Sam takes his arm out of his makeshift sling. He moves his shoulder, wincing slightly.

Seeing Dean's worried look, Sam smiles. "It's fine, just sore. You did a good job popping it back into place last night. I'll be-"

"Fine, yeah, I got that." Dean looks at Sam, clearly not believing he'll be fine, then starts walking off towards the Impala. "Catch me up to speed. What happened?"

* * *

"And that's when you guys showed up."

Dean shakes his head. "That's awful."

"Yeah."

"Poor Andy." Sam cringes. "The demon said he only wanted one of us to walk out alive. Guess he got what he wanted."

Dean stops and looks at Sam. "He told you that?"

Sam can't look Dean in the eyes, so he pretends to tie his shoe. "Yup, appeared in a dream."

"He tell you anything else?"

"No. No, that was it, nothing else." Sam responds almost a little too quickly.

They continue their trek through the woods.

"What I don't get, is if the demon wanted one of you, then why hasn't he taken you yet?" Dean's question makes Sam's blood run cold.

"Let's just be happy he hasn't."

Sam sighs in relief as he spots the Impala. "Let's go catch up with Bobby."

* * *

The Impala slows to a halt next to Bobby's car. All three men get out of the car, desperate to stretch their legs.

"We'll meet you at the house, okay Bobby?" Dean pulls the old hunter into a hug, then turns and heads back to his baby.

"You alright, Sam?" Bobby looks at Sam with concern.

"I'm fine, no need to worry." Sam offers a weak smile in return. "See you in a few."

As the two cars pull away, Sam is left wondering how in the world he is going to get away from his brother.

* * *

Sam looks out the window as Dean and Bobby talk in the junkyard. Now is his chance to go, to run, but he can't make himself do it. He can't bring himself to leave. Not now, not when his brother just got him back.

Suddenly, the two figures outside tense up and hide behind a car. Sam saw a figure coming up to them. As he saw her face he relaxes. Dean and Bobby see her seconds later, and pull her into a big hug. Sam can't figure out why they look so relieved to see Ellen.

All three of them walk inside. Sam is worried. Ellen looks pretty shook up.

"Are you okay, Ellen?" She looks at Sam, then at Dean, who is helping her into a seat.

"He doesn't know?" Dean shakes his head.

"Here." Bobby slides a shot glass full of holy water to her.

"Bobby, is this necessary?"

"Just holy water. Shouldn't hurt." Eyes bore into Ellen as the implication stood. She downs the shot without batting an eye. "Whiskey now, if you don't mind."

Ellen slides the glass back to Bobby, who begins filling it with the amber liquid.

"Ellen, what happened, how'd you get out?" Dean leans forward on the couch, ready to get the full story.

"Wasn't supposed to. I was supposed to be there with everybody else."

"In where? What happened?" Sam is growing more and more frustrated as his question is ignored.

"But we ran out of pretzels, of all things. Just dumb luck. Anyway, that's when Ash called, panic in his voice. He said to look in the safe. The line cut out, so I didn't get to ask for what. By the time I got back, the flames were sky high."

Sam's voice is barely audible. "The roadhouse burned down?"

Ellen nods. "A lot of good people died in there."

The room falls silent. Bobby is the first to speak. "You mentioned a safe. Did the demons get it?"

Ellen smiles as she pulls out a map. "Nope."

It is a map of Wyoming with five X's marking, well, who knows what?

Dean looks around the room. "What does it mean?"

* * *

Sam looks back at Bobby's house one more time. The roadhouse was burned because of him, and there is no way he would allow that to happen to anyone else. Sam starts up Bobby's truck and heads off into town.

Sam pulls into a parking lot at the local bar and parks. No one would suspect anything if Bobby's truck was outside the bar. The man was half alcohol.

Seeing a promising car, Sam scopes out the lot. No witnesses besides the occasional passing car. He unlocks the car and drives off, the map Azazel gave him sitting in the seat next to him.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural. This is based off of the Supernatural television show, but I've added my own twist.**

 **As promised, this chapter is more exciting! Feel free to message me if you have ideas on how I can improve.**

* * *

Sam looks down at the paper in his hand. This is the place. But what is so special about a railroad? Sam shields his eyes from the sun as a familiar scratchy voice sounds from behind him.

"Howdy, Sammy." Azazel is standing in the middle of the barren road.

Sam's face is stone cold. "What is it you want me to do?"

Azazel smirks. "Ooo, a go-getter. I like that." He takes a few steps forward. "Fifty miles that way, there is a cemetery, a crypt. You gotta open that up for me. Think you can manage that?"

"Why do you need me to open the damn thing? What are you planning?"

"Sammy, it's not nice to fight back. People get hurt that way." Now it's Azazel's turn to be stone cold. "Don't question, just get it done. You may be my favorite, but the roadhouse was nothing compared to what I _can_ do."

Sam takes a step back, a little frightened at the implications.

Azazel's lighthearted demeanor returns as he reaches inside his jacket. "But if you're going to open it, you'll need a key." In his hand is the Colt.

"Where did you get that?!" A chuckle mocks Sam's question. "You know who gave it to me. Dear old dad. But hey, it's yours now."

Sam snatches the Colt out of Azazel's hands and points the gun at him.

"Oh my, I'm shocked at this unforeseen turn of events. Go ahead Sam, squeeze that trigger. Be all you can be. Avenge your mother, your girlfriend, blah, blah, blah. This will all be over. You could go back to Stanford and become a lawyer. But of course, you've been gone for so long you've probably lost your scholarship. Maybe you and Dean could be a team again, saving people, hunting things, the family... But isn't this business the reason you lost your family in the first place? Then, on the other hand, the rest of your life, and your family's, could be prosperous and death-free. At least, until you die of natural causes in your old age. Every day would be an ice cream sundae. You wouldn't have worry about the next big bad because, guess what? A demon army would be at your fingertips."

As the gun wavers in Sam's grasp, Azazel hits the point home. "But, if you do decide to shoot me, then I wouldn't be able to call off my buddies who are going to kill that brother of yours. Time's a wasting."

Sam lowers the gun. "Call them off. Now."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Can't do that Sammy. Not until you open that crypt. If I were you, I'd get a move on." Azazel taps his wrist. "We are on a tight schedule."

* * *

The gates creak in protest as Sam opens the rusted hinges to the graveyard. It's night, and the moonlight casts long shadows over the graveyard. Sam walks over to the crypt, then stops, hearing a familiar voice behind him.

"Stop Sam." _Dean._

Sam slowly turns around to see Dean, Bobby, and Ellen pointing their guns at him. He laughs nervously. "Guys, uh, hey. How'd you find me?"

Keeping the gun trained on him, Bobby spoke up first. "Remember the map Ellen brought us? The one with the five X's? They are churches. All connected by a railway system."

Realization dawns on Sam's face. "We're inside a giant devil's trap?" Seeing nods of confirmation, Sam mutters, "So that's why he needs me."

"Put the gun down, Sam. Come back with us. I know you're trying to do what's best, but trust me, this isn't it."

Sam looks at Dean, heart breaking a little. Dean's right about one thing: he's doing what's best. What Dean doesn't realize is that if he doesn't do this, all three of them, Ellen, Bobby, and Dean, will die. Sam shakes his head.

"I can't do that. But if you wanted to shoot me, you would've done it by now." Sam takes a step back towards the crypt, smiling sadly when he sees his loved ones tighten their fingers on their triggers. "Forgive me."

Sam looks at Ellen, then, with a flash in his eyes, says, "Ellen, point the gun at your head." Slowly, body obviously trying to resist, Ellen points the gun at her head. Fear-filled eyes look at Sam.

"Place the guns down. Please, I don't want anyone to get hurt." Sam looks pleadingly at those who came to help him. It hurt to see Bobby and Dean surrender, hurt even more to have to threaten Ellen, but he has to make sure they stay out of harm's way.

"Back up and take cover behind a gravestone. Ellen," Sam's eyes flash again, "throw your gun down as you back away.

Reluctantly, they all back up. "Why're you doing this, Sam?" Dean's hands are up in surrender, confusion and pain etched onto his features. Sam notices with suspicion that although Bobby and Ellen are at a safe enough distance, Dean has stopped, only a few feet between himself and his brother.

"To keep all of you safe!" Sam turns and shoves the Colt into the lock on the crypt.

"No!" Dean's shout is drowned out by Bobby's warning, "Dean! Get down!"

The three parts of the lock turn until they make a pentagram, and suddenly the doors, or, rather, gates, are flung open as black smoke shoots out of the crypt, knocking Sam to the side.

"Damn it, Sam! You opened a damned gate to Hell!" Sam can barely hear Bobby's curses as the demons rush past him, fleeing their prison. Suddenly, Dean is next to Sam, and Bobby and Ellen are pushing against the gates, trying to stop the flow of demons.

"Why Sam?" Dean looks heartbroken. Sam shrugs in reply. "It was to save you."

An incredulous look crosses Dean's features. "Releasing demons is keeping me safe, how?" When Sam refuses to meet his eyes, Dean tries again. "Sam, I-" Dean is pulled by an invisible force away from his brother and thrown into a tree.

"Let Sammy revel in his victory. Don't want to spoil his fun, do ya, Dean?" Azazel walks up to Dean, a smile on his face.

"You yellow-eyed son of a bitch! I don't know _what_ you did to my brother, but you better fix it. _NOW!_ " Dean growls.

Azazel laughs. "I did nothing to your brother, Dean. Just made a proposition that he couldn't resist. Or are you confused as to how he has some new abilities?" He chuckles. "That was within him all along, he just had to open himself up to it. Honestly, I'm surprised he accepted his demonic side so quickly." Dean struggles more intensely against the invisible bonds holding him captive.

Sam approaches Azazel. "Let him go. You got what you wanted, there's no need to hurt him." The demon sighed deeply. "Because you're my favorite, I'll leave him alone. This time." He squats down to Dean's eye level. "But if we see each other again, you'll meet the same fate as your daddy." With a wink, Azazel stands up and walks back to Sam.

A loud THUNK is heard behind them. Bobby and Ellen sit down in relief as the Gates of Hell are closed once again. Azazel looks back at Sam. "That's our cue to go, Sammy! Your army awaits your command."

The invisible restraints holding Dean vanish as Azazel reaches out for Sam. He takes two steps toward his brother before Azazel disappears, Sam along with him.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural.  
**

 **I decided to try a chapter in first person point of view. Please tell me what you think about this change in perspective. Should I do it more? Should I stop?  
**

 **Any words in italics in this chapter are Sam's thoughts.**

* * *

In the blink of an eye, my surroundings had changed. Instead of gravestones, I saw Azazel sitting in a chair next to me. Looking down, I realized I was also sitting down. A good thing, too. My head was killing me.

Azazel leaned back in his chair. "Soon enough you'll be able to teleport without the unfortunate... side effect." As my head cleared, his words sunk in.

"There is no way I will let you teleport me enough for me to get used to this headache." I looked up at Azazel when he let out a small laugh. _What's so funny?_

"Sammy, you misunderstand me. You are going to become strong enough to withstand teleportation. Why, what you pulled on your little friend at the graveyard is nothing compared to what you will soon be able to do."

I cringed at the reminder at what had happened only moments ago. _I'm sorry, Ellen._ I jerk up in my seat, an unsettling thought coming to mind. "How the hell did I control Ellen?" In the moment, making Ellen put her gun to her head seemed so natural, as if I'd done it all my life. That scared me more than I cared to admit.

Azazel was watching the emotions cross my face with what looked like... _Was that sympathy?_ "I know this must be hard for you to accept, seeing as how you've been suppressing your abilities for so long, but you're more special than you realize, Sammy. Now that you're with me, those powers you've been keeping lock away for so long are starting to come out."

My mind was whirring with thoughts. _I have more powers? But to unlock her powers, Ava turned evil. Shit, I'm not turning evil, am I? I'm working with a demon, sure, but I'm doing it to protect the people I love! Surely that means I'm not evil, right?_

"All you have to do to reach your full potential is to have the 'all or nothing' mindset. At the graveyard, you got the ability to make others do your bidding because you knew you had to open the gate at any cost. You can't go half-assed on this, Sammy-boy. The faster you commit yourself to my cause, the faster you become the man I always knew you'd be, and the faster my- uh, your army gets their leader."

 _Maybe Azazel isn't lying, for once. It makes sense; Ava wanted to be the last person standing. But still..._

"What about my visions? Jake's strength? Max's telekinesis?" I looked accusingly at Azazel.

"I said to reach your full potential, not to use some powers. Because of the boost I gave you when you were a child, you have some talents that come naturally, like your visions. Anything else will take commitment and practice." Azazel stood up. "Sorry to leave so soon, but I have to double check the security of your new home. Don't want that brother of yours dropping by, now do we?"

Azazel disappeared, leaving me to check out my surroundings. I stood up and started to walk around, taking in every detail. The walls of brick were dark, by mud or a trick of the dim light, I couldn't tell. Even though candles were the only light source, they were everywhere: in chandeliers hanging from chains from the ceiling, in stands ranging from the kind you put on a desk to ones that stand on the floor, and some just sat on the furniture without a candle holder. The double doors were made of wood, resembling castle doors with the Iron crisscrossing them, adding reinforcement. There were some shelves in the back corner to the left of the doors. I walked closer. The shelves were empty, obviously unused by all the dust on them. Pillars ran from the door to the front of the room to a raised section in the back. The chairs where I sat with Azazel earlier were on the raised platform.

 _Two chairs? Ugh, the yellow-eyed bitch probably thinks we're partners now._ I sighed and shook my head. _At least I'm not underground._ I thought as I saw a window above the platform. Pale moonlight streamed through, as if the candlelight wasn't creepy enough. There were two other windows in the room, one on the right wall, across from the shelves, the other directly above the shelves. On the right of the raised platform was a door with a faded word on it: facilities.

 _Where am I? Obviously, the demons didn't build this place; they don't need to use a bathroom. Maybe I'll find out more clues as to where I am in a drawer or something._ On the right side of the room was a side table with one of the various candle holders. Opening the drawer, it looked like someone had thrown papers in there with haste. Picking one up, I tried to read the faded words.

"Patient's Log: Fredrick Jones. Patient has relapsed back into his fantasy for the fifth time now. We're losing hope for him." _Patient's log?_ I squinted at the very top of the page. I could just barely make out the words: Needham Asylum. At least I knew where I was. But why an asylum? The questions were piling up while the answers were scarce. Putting the patient's log down and closing the drawer, I continued my observations.

I noticed with a grimace a rack of weapons was against the far wall, the weapons illuminated by candlelight, making the room seem that much more like a dungeon. I rummaged through more drawers, many filled with miscellaneous papers, but didn't find out much more on the place. I walked up to the black cabinet on the wall to the right of the door, grabbed the handle, and tried to open it. Tried. Failed. The door was locked. If that didn't scream suspicious, nothing would. I took my lock-pick out of my pocket and quickly got the cabinet open. Inside was an arsenal of torture devices, knives, hooks, weapons with barbed tips, a cat o'nine tails, a variety of clamps, and more. I shut the cabinet and heard it lock. _I hope the demons brought those and they weren't used on the patients at the asylum._

Suddenly, I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, and I could've sworn I felt... It was weird, but I thought I felt Azazel's presence. I knew he wouldn't appreciate me snooping, so I walked back to the raised platform and sat on what I've dubbed as 'my chair.' Azazel teleported back into his chair moments later.

"Ready to start training those powers of yours, Sammy?" He leans towards me in anticipation.

 _Maybe I could use these powers to my advantage. I know when Azazel's coming, that could help out later. If I play my cards right, Azazel will train me to become strong enough to finally kill him._

I turn, stared him straight in the eye, and smiled. "I can't wait."


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural.**

 **I'm an awful person; I haven't updated in a while, sorry! Because these chapters are focused less on the actual** _ **Supernatural**_ **episodes and more on my own original thoughts, it'll take longer between each chapter. Hope this is worth the wait!**

* * *

"Oomph!" Sam doubled over, the air knocked out of him. The demon was obviously pleased with being able to pummel a Winchester, even if he was going to lead the army later.

Sam looked up with his puppy dog eyes, willing the demon to stop. "Please... I don't want... to hurt you... Brady." Sam labored out, breathing still difficult from his latest hit. His college friend looked at him and laughed, eyes flashing black as he looked down at the man before him.

"Brady's not here right now, although, he never really was." Confusion filled Sam's features as his color returned to normal, his breathing becoming easier. "Wh-what?"

"From the moment we met, I was already occupying your so-called 'friend.' Everything we did, every conversation we had, it was all _fake_. And you wanna know what the icing on the cake is?" The demon paused and nodded his head towards the woods to Sam's left where Azazel was observing Sam's training. " _He_ didn't kill your girlfriend. _I_ did."

Anger flared in Sam as the words sunk in and his whole body tensed. Demon-Brady noticed the change in the young Winchester's demeanor and smirked. "Of course, Azazel told me to get the bitch out of the way when he learned you were going to propose. Sam, let me just tell you how much _fun_ it was-" Demon-Brady's words were cut short as he was choked by an invisible force. Sam stood up, hand extended in front of him.

"You will _not_ speak like that about Jess. EVER." Sam glared at the demon in front of him.

"K-kill me, and y-your friend d-dies, too." Demon-Brady managed to squeak out.

"Kill you? Sounds like a great idea." With that, Sam closed his eyes and concentrated, causing black smoke to trail out of Brady's mouth, his body shaking as the demon was expelled from his body.

As Sam watched the smoke dissipate into the ground, he heard Azazel approach him from behind. "You didn't kill him, just sent him back to Hell." Disappointment was evident in his voice. "Honestly, Sam, when I saw how eager you were to train, I expected more from you. Now, I'm not saying this was a total bust, but it definitely took way too long for you to use your powers on him."

Sam turned to face Azazel. "The very first demon you have me face is someone I used to consider a friend of mine during my college years, and you expect me to unlock a hidden ability I don't know how to use, just like that?"

Azazel rolled his eyes. "C'mon, Sammy. Use that brain of yours. You can't let emotions cloud your judgement. This was lesson number one: everyone is your enemy. You will be leading an army of _demons_ , Sammy. Although many of them will be faithful to you, there will be ones who plot against you. Don't let your guard down, and don't hold back from a kill."

With that, the woods disappeared in a flash. Sam's head started throbbing again, still not used to teleporting.

"Ugh, give me more of a warning next time." Sam groaned as his eyes slowly adjusted to the dimly lit room. He noted they were back in the asylum, the same room as before. Sam wondered if he would be able to explore or if he was trapped inside this one room. Sam sat down in his chair, willing the dizziness to go away.

Azazel's voice pounded on Sam's aching head. "Teleporting you three times in one day wasn't such a good idea. C'mon Sammy, I'll show you where your room is so you can get some rest. You have to be up in five hours for more training, so you'd better get rest while you can."

Sam stood and followed Azazel out the double doors into a long corridor. Torches lined the walls, casting a soft light across the hall. Sam saw what he assumed to be old patients' ward down a side hallway, locks on the outside to keep the patients in. He hoped to whatever deity was listening that he wouldn't get put one of those rooms. Sam inwardly sighed in relief as he realized Azazel had no intention of heading down that hallway.

Azazel stopped at the end of the hallway and turned towards the door to the right. "Here we are Sammy! Your new room! Get some rest, I can promise you tomorrow will not be as easy as today was." With a wink, Azazel turned and left, leaving Sam to his own devices.

 **This is a description of Sam's room. You may skip it if you like.**

Sam opened the metal door, surprised it didn't creak loudly. As he stepped inside the room, Sam noted the lack of decorations. A king sized bed sat off a little to the left, two pillows and a beige comforter neatly placed upon it. On the mahogany bedside table sat a clock and a black table lamp. The walls were unadorned, painted a dark grey. The floor was hardwood, not a scratch to be seen. A desk stood by the window, curtains drawn shut, on the far left side, office supplies neatly arranged. On the right side was a wall filled with all the weapons a hunter could hope to have, every one polished and sharpened. A shelf lined the entire back wall, books going from one end to the other. A dresser was to the right of the door. To the right of that was another door, and upon further inspection, Sam realized it led to his bathroom. Sam's room was obviously newly refurbished; most other parts of the asylum had chipped paint, but not here.

 **If you skipped, start back here.**

The room didn't have anything adorning the walls, no pointless decorations. Dean would've hated the lack of "life" the room had, but to Sam, it was perfect. Thinking of Dean made Sam even more determined to do well on the next training exercise. The sooner he mastered his abilities, the sooner he could kill Azazel and get back to hunting with his brother.

Sam got in a pair of sweats and a t-shirt he found in the dresser and climbed into bed. It was surprisingly comfortable, and Sam soon found himself in the deep recesses of sleep.

* * *

Sam awoke the next morning to a knock on his door. He opened his eyes slowly to find himself in an unfamiliar place. Sam sat up with a start. He relaxed, but only slightly, when he remembered the events of the previous night.

"Mr. _Winchester_." Sam heard someone outside his door address him, but not without noticing the crass undertone when he said it.

"Yeah?" Sam wasn't quite sure who this person was, but the guy didn't seem too fond of him.

The voice called again. "Mr. Winchester, you are requested to be in the main hall in ten minutes time." The voice held a bit more respect this time.

"Okay..." Sam figured the voice belonged to that of a demon, which explains why he heard contempt when it said his name. Sam got up and dressed for what was bound to be a long day, the dresser filled with all the types of clothes he likes to wear. The room was oddly catered to his every desire, and it bothered Sam more than he cared to admit.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural. I'm not making a profit off of this.**

 **I go back and forth between Sam and Dean in this chapter, just to let y'all know what's happening on Dean's end, too. Sorry for the long wait, but I promise the next two chapters will be posted quickly!**

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPN

Sam walked into the main hall, wondering what was in store for him today. Sam saw Azazel sitting in his chair, looking at different documents and yelling at the demon next to him.

"I don't care who they think they are, they can't just run around like they own the place!" Azazel looked up and finally saw Sam. An evil grin slowly covered his features. "Dante, I know how to fix our little problem."

"What problem?" Sam approached slowly, wondering how screwed he was going to be.

Azazel stood up and walked over to Sam, ignoring the incredulous look on the demon's face. "Him, sir? Why, he barely passed his session yesterday!" Sam recognized Dante's voice; he was the demon who woke him earlier.

Ignoring Dante, Azazel wraps an arm around Sam's shoulders. "Your next training session will be on the road, Sammy. Maybe I took the wrong approach yesterday. Why, you always honed your skills on the job before."

Sam looked at Azazel with apprehension. "C'mon Sammy, I thought you wanted to get better." Azazel feigned being hurt. "Don't you _want_ to get stronger?"

Sam inwardly sighed. "What is this, uh, mission?"

An evil gleam shone in Azazel's eyes. "You're going to take down some wayward soldiers: the Seven Deadly Sins."

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPN

Dean curses as he throws another old tomb to the ground. "Damn it!" He rubs his hand across his face in frustration, cursing himself at letting his brother get away.

"Stop blaming yourself, ya idgit. We'll get yer brother back, just you wait." Bobby picked up the tomb and placed it onto the kitchen table. "And don't go ruining my tombs."

"I'm sorry, Bobby, but.."

Bobby cuts Dean off. "But nothin'. It's only been a couple hours. Sam will be fine; we _will_ find a way to get him back." Bobby sat down next to Dean. "In the meantime, why don't you go gank some demons?"

Dean looked at Bobby as if he grew an extra head. "Bobby, I have to get Sam back! I shouldn't get distracted by a frivolous hunt. Have someone else do it."

Bobby sighed. "You're not doing any good throwing my fragile tombs around and growing more grey hairs than me worrying about your brother. Go on this hunt, get a clear head. Maybe we'll find answers after we finish this hunt." Bobby held his breath, hoping Dean would go out and blow off some steam.

"Alright Bobby, I'll do it. What's this hunt?"

Bobby visibly relaxed, sitting back in his chair. "Lincoln, Nebraska. I found some demonic omens: crop failures and a cicada swarm."

Now it was Dean's turn to sigh. "Damn it, Bobby! That's hardly anything to go off of, and for a three and a half hour drive, too! You need me here to..." Dean went off on a tangent, letting out all of his pent up frustrations at losing his brother by yelling at Bobby.

Expecting the outburst, Bobby waited for Dean to calm down before he explained. "Dean, in the past few hours, nothing has shown up. No demonic omens, right after a frickin' Hell's Gate is opened? Does it not seem weird that after releasing who knows how many demons, it all goes quiet? Now let's go check out the one lead we have before you annoy me and I fill you so full of rock salt you'll be shittin' margaritas."

"When we get see it was all for nothing, you owe me a week's worth of booze." Dean grumbled as he stood and walked towards his beloved Impala.

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPN

"The _what_?!" Sam couldn't believe his ears. Azazel wanted him to take on the _Seven Deadly Sins_? It was surely a suicide run.

Azazel dismissed Dante and leaned back in his chair. "You see, Sammy, I've been going about this all wrong. Training exercises aren't going to help you. No, you function well under pressure, and nothing has more pressure than a life-or-death situation. You'll be fine, Sammy, just use those powers of yours."

Sam could not believe his ears. Use the powers that he cannot control yet? Disbelief shone on his face. A loud rumble filled the room as Sam's stomach chose that exact moment to make its hunger known.

"Ah, I forgot. Humans need to eat. How about we get some food into you, and then you can show your army that you don't take insubordination from anyone; not even some of the more powerful demons?" Azazel, not waiting for an answer, called for one of the demons outside. "Go make a big breakfast. Sam will need all of his strength today. He's taking care of the rebellious Sins today." The demon's face blanched, and, with a bow, he left the room. Azazel laughed. "See, Sammy, if you fix this little problem, your army will fear you, and fear is a powerful motivator."

Two hours later, Bobby and Dean arrived at the house of one of the latest victims of the cicada swarm. A buzzing sound filled the air. "That can't be good." Dean said, glancing around. "Do you think it's some kind of plague?"

Bobby shrugged. "I don't know, let's find out." He turned and started up the stairs of the porch.

Dean slipped past Bobby and knocked three times on the door, loudly. "Candy gram!" He yelled, trying to get the hunt done as soon as possible. Hearing no answer, he picks the lock on the door, Bobby drawing his pistol. The door creaks open and they are assaulted with an intensely foul smell.

Bobby grimaced. "Dean, something died in here."

"Yeah, sure smells bad enough." Dean retorts sarcastically.

Bobby cuffed him upside the head. "Damn it, boy, don't you know what that smell is? Something, or someone, died. Now stop messin' around and go find the durned body."

They split up. Bobby checked out the bedrooms while Dean headed down the hallway, stopping in doorways and checking for any signs of life. Hearing a woman's scream, he slams open the door to the living room, regretting it a moment later when the smell of rot intensified.

"Bobby! I found 'em!" Dean called, circling the couch until he saw the emancipated bones of the family. Bobby ran through the doorway, wrinkling his nose at the smell. "What the hell happened, Bobby?"

Bobby shook his head. "I don't know. We should check for sulfur, and then let's get out of here. The smell's bringing me to an early grave."

As they check around the windows for sulfur, a noise from outside calls Dean's attention. He whistles quietly to get Bobby's attention, then motions toward the door. They both get up and walk silently towards this new threat. Dean opens the front door and walks onto the porch. Surveying the land, he sees all is clear and walks the length of the porch. A noise from behind Dean caused him to turn, just in time to get hit in the gut with the butt of a rifle and kicked to the ground. As he looked down the length of the gun, he saw two figures.

"Isaac? Tamara?" Bobby's voice sounded from behind him. The gun was pulled away from Dean's face and pulled up to the man's, Isaac's, shoulder.

"Bobby, what are you doing here?" The woman, Tamara, asked, a smile forming on her face.

"Hey Bobby." Isaac said with a laugh, reaching out and clasping hands with his old friend.

Bobby spoke up next, ignoring Dean, who was still on the ground. "We've got to talk."


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural. This story is not making me any sort of profit.**

 **I told you I'd post this chapter quickly ;) Hopefully y'all like it!**

* * *

Sam finished his blueberry pancakes and set off to his room. If Azazel really wanted him to take on the Seven Deadly Sins, he'd need to make sure he was packing. As he opened his bedroom door and headed for the wall of weapons to his right, Sam wondered if he wanted an army to fear him, even if it was a demon army. No, if Sam had to rule an army, which he hoped he wouldn't have to, he'd rather them respect him than fear him. Sam pulled the bag full of hunter's supplies over his left shoulder and made his way to the main hall where he knew Azazel would be waiting.

Sam was surprised to see the hall was empty. Sam shrugged the bag onto the floor next to his chair and sat down. His leg started to bounce up and down as he thought about the events that were about to transpire. As Sam felt Azazel's presence, a feeling his neck was all too familiar with, he wondered what his family would think if he died on this hunt.

* * *

Back at Isaac and Tamara's place, Dean called the coroner's office as Bobby helped his two friends prepare their weapons.

Isaac searched along the desks, and, unable to find what he was looking for, called out, "Honey, where's the polo Santo?"

"I don't know dear, where'd you leave it last?" Tamara asked in her British accent.

Isaac rolled his eyes, where his wife couldn't see, and said, "I don't know, that's why I'm asking."

Bobby spotted the Paulo Santo and held it out. "This? What's it supposed to do?"

Tamara took it and started to spread it along a wooden stake. "It's toxic to demons, like holy water. It keeps them held down while we exorcise them." She handed to stake to Isaac.

"Thank you, dear." Isaac pecked Tamara on the cheek.

She smiled. "You'd lose your head without me."

"Hey, that was the coroner's tech. The cause of death of the family? Dehydration. No sign of struggle, either. They just sat down and never stood back up."

"But there was a full stocked kitchen." Bobby chimed in. "If this is a demon attack, it's unlike anything I've ever seen, and I've seen plenty."

The four hunters stood in silence, each contemplating what to do next.

* * *

Azazel walked through the doors, followed by Dante and a few other demons. "Are you ready to head out, Sammy?" Azazel smiled, the only one in the room to show any emotions on their face. "I can just sense the optimism." Azazel's voice drips with sarcasm.

Sam gave him a tight smile. "Sorry, but I can't seem to get excited about a death march."

Azazel turned to the other demons. "He's just being modest." Turning back to Sam, "You're going to do much better on this than you did on the exercise yesterday, I'm sure of it. Now, off you go!"

Sam suddenly finds himself on a bench on a sidewalk in who-knows-where with a vicious headache. He watches as two girls yell at each other over what seems to be a pair of shoes, willing the headache to go away. Sam watched on in horror as one of the girls slammed the other's head into a windshield several times, killing her. The girl in question then walked away with the shoes in hand.

Sam cursed his stupid headache for keeping him from helping. He stood slowly, his headache dissipating, when he noticed a guy watching from the street corner. The hairs on the back of Sam's neck stood up, and Sam got a feeling that man was one of the Seven Deadly Sins. Not wanting to lose this opportunity, Sam followed him from a safe distance.

* * *

Bobby sat down in the Impala and shut the door. "Nothing."

Dean looked over at Bobby, turning down Metallica as he did so. "Nothing? The girl wasn't possessed? The chick killed another chick for a pair of shoes, Bobby. _Shoes_."

Bobby shook his head. "Nope, she didn't have any blackouts, no reaction to _Christo_ , and I even spilled a little holy water on her just to be sure. I guess she just really wanted those shoes."

Dean sighed. "Might as well check out the security camera just in case. I'm not a fan of coincidences, and, after that family died, this is looking to be one hell of a coincidence."

* * *

Sam sat on a bench at the park. He couldn't fathom why one of the Seven Deadly Sins stopped here. He watched the man, wondering if he was wrong and this was just a random guy. The man in question was currently sitting on the ground people watching. Harmless enough, that is, until his eyes stopped on two little girls playing with a kite.

The man stood up and started walking towards the girls. There was no way in hell that Sam would allow the man to hurt those girls, and, if his assumption was correct, their very lives were at stake. Sam got up and followed, close enough to jump in and stop him but not close enough to raise suspicion.

Sam almost attacked the man when he started to talk to who he assumed were the parents of the two girls until he saw them laugh. Sam relaxed slightly, but still held up his guard. He tensed again as he saw the man approach the girls, but the man only gave them high fives. It seemed harmless enough. The man left the girls and started to leave the park.

As Sam turned to go, he heard the beginnings of an argument. He turned to see both girls pulling on the kite. To the outsider's point of view, it just looked like a small squabble between little kids, but not to Sam. Not wanting a repeat of what happened at the store, Sam jogged over to the little girls to stop the fight from escalating.

"Whoa, what seems to be the problem here?" Sam asked, pulling the girls apart and taking the kite.

The taller one spoke up first. "Katie has had the kite _all day_. It's my turn!"

The other girl, Katie, spoke up quickly. "What?! I just started my turn. Gabriella has had the kite for _hours_."

Both girls glare at each other, bodies tensed and ready to fight tooth and nail for the kite. Sam knows he has to reverse whatever the man did, but all he did was give the girls a high five. Putting the kite on the ground, Sam kneeled beside the girls and placed his left hand on Gabriella's shoulder and his right on Katie's. Taking a deep breath, Sam closed his eyes. He could feel the spell – power, evil, whatever it was – coursing through both girls. Sam pulled the evil from the girls into his own body and dropped his hands from the girls' shoulders. As the girls picked up the kite and started to play again, a shadow fell over Sam.

"What do you think you're doing?" Sam looked up to see two women standing next to him. "You better have a damn good explanation for talking to our daughters."

Sam stood up and looked around. He silently cursed himself for losing sight of the man. "I mean no disrespect, ma'am. I only saw them start to bicker and thought I'd help save a friendship." He smiled sheepishly. "I know I should've let you handle it, but-"

He was cut off by the woman who spoke before. "But nothing! Don't you know I could call the police on you for approaching my child and possibly being a pedophile?!"

"Martha, calm down. The girls are fine, and I doubt this young man is a pedophile." The other woman defended Sam, much to his relief. Crisis averted, Sam focused on finding the man who created this mess.

Sam asked the women, "So, uh, do you happen to know the name of the guy who came over here not even two minutes ago? He dropped a ten back over there." Sam indicated the area the man was sitting earlier. "I came over here to return it when I saw the argument."

The woman who hates Sam, Martha, spoke up. "Might as well keep the ten. Walter is only going to spend the money on booze at the bar."

"He goes there every night. Walter is nice enough, but he can't go one night without his alcohol." The other woman added.

Sam smiled. "Do you know his last name? I'd feel bad keeping his money."


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: As much as I love the boys, I don't own them or Supernatural.**

* * *

"Are you sure he's going to show?" Bobby asked. "It's already seven past midnight, and he hasn't shown yet."

Dean sighed. After seeing Walter touch the girl who went crazy over shoes on the shoulder, Dean, Bobby, Isaac and Tamara took his picture around the town and asked around about him. Walter hadn't been in town very long, but those who know him said he was a nice fellow who usually kept to himself, and he came to the local bar every night, like clockwork. To Dean, the clock was faulty.

"I dunno, Bobby. We've been sitting here for three hours now, and we haven't seen anything even remotely suspicious. Maybe we should call-" Dean was interrupted as a car drove up and parked beside them. Dean rolled his window down to talk to the driver of the other car.

"We checked out the guy's house. Sulfur was everywhere. There's no way he's not a demon." Isaac put his hand on Tamara's thigh. "Now all we have to do is exorcise the bitch."

Bobby was skeptical. "I think we should learn more about Walter before we attack." Three heads stared at him with shocked expressions.

Dean didn't mask the "how stupid are you" tone of his voice. "Bobby, we are this close to ganking the damn thing, and you want to sit on the bench? No way, man."

Bobby glared at the hunters before him. "If we go in there half-cocked, blood will be shed, and I'm not meaning the demon. I have a feeling that something is off about this hunt. This ain't a simple job like we think it is, so stay in your damned seats and wait!"

No sooner had Bobby finished than another truck pulled up. Once it parked, a man stepped out and headed towards the bar.

"That's him." Isaac whispered. All four hunters were so caught up in watching Walter that no one noticed the car that pulled into the parking lot and park a few feet away.

* * *

Sam was happy to see Walter pull up to the town bar. It took him an hour and a half to find him, and Sam was getting restless trailing him. He could still feel the evil flowing through him. All Sam wanted was to end this and make Azazel help him figure out how to dispose of what he considered poison.

Sam parked right as Walter walked into the bar, the hairs on the back of his neck standing up. Sam could feel the dark energy emitted from the bar, and he somehow knew that everyone inside was a demon. Every. Last. Person. To make matters worse, the demons in the bar were the Seven Deadly Sins: Greed, Gluttony, Sloth, Lust, Envy, Pride, and Wrath.

Taking a deep breath, Sam stepped out of the car. Sitting on his ass wasn't going to get the job done, and the faster he killed the Sins, the faster he could detox himself from the poison he carried. As Sam walked up to the door of the bar, he could've sworn he felt someone watching him.

* * *

"What now? We can't see jack squat from here." Dean looked at Bobby, still not happy with his plan to sit on the sidelines.

"Me and Isaac can go undercover and scope the place out." Tamara offered. As Isaac started to complain, Tamara placed her finger on his lips. "C'mon love, don't tell me you're scared."

Isaac pulled her hand down to his lap. "I don't want anything to happen to you. Maybe you should wait here."

"It can't be." Dean's voice was barely audible, the pain laced in it heartbreaking. Isaac, Tamara, and Bobby followed Dean's eyes to see the figure walking up to the bar. At the door, the figure paused and looked back.

Isaac looked at the frozen forms to his left. "Who is that guy?"

As the figure disappeared into the bar, Dean found his voice. "That's my brother."

* * *

All eyes turned to look at Sam as he entered the bar. Time seemed to stop, silence filled the air. Mustering up all his courage, Sam made his way over to the bar. A brunette waltzed over to him.

"What can I get you?" She stared down at him, not even pretending to hide the disgusted look on her face.

Sam tilted his head at her, a name entering his mind. "Greed, how good to see you." He smirked as the shocked look upon her face. Ignoring the sounds of the others surrounding him, Sam continued. "I'm not here for a drink, just to talk."

Turning around, Sam stared down the demons around him. "I heard the seven of you have been going against Azazel's wishes."

The Seven Deadly Sins sneered at Azazel's name. "That excuse for a demon doesn't hold power over us! He's lucky we only walked away and didn't take him down instead." The businessman, Pride, scoffed.

On the outside, Sam was as relaxed and confident as ever, but on the inside, dread was building inside of him. To keep the charade going, Sam rolled his eyes. "You really think you could get away with walking out? That makes Azazel's followers think it's okay to bail out whenever they want. You didn't expect to leave the army scotch-free, did you?"

The Sins laughed. Greed stepped closer and asked, "Who are you? You're not a demon, but you're not exactly human, either."

The demons stiffened as they felt the presence of hunters nearby. The bar's bouncer, Wrath, moved over to the door and locked the bar down. Black eyes returned to Sam.

* * *

Dean slammed into the doors, growling in frustration as his efforts did nothing to break down the barrier. Sammy, _his brother_ , was so close to him, and yet he couldn't do anything to help him. Who knows how many demons were inside that bar. What was Sam doing here? Did he not see Dean, or was he purposely ignoring him? Was it coincidence that he walked into the same bar as the demon Dean was hunting?

Dean was pulled out of his musings when he heard Bobby's shout.

"I found something!" Isaac and Tamara continued to hit the doors as Dean ran over to Bobby. He was standing by a window. "I know it's not much, but since we can't get the doors to budge, I figured at least we could see what was happening inside."

Dean looked inside, and his heart dropped. Inside, he saw Sam surrounded by seven demons. He inwardly cringed as he saw the demons closing in on his brother. As Sam spoke again, Dean was amazed at how calm he was. So Sam walking into the same bar Dean was staking out wasn't a coincidence after all.

* * *

The distraction was brief, yet welcome. Sam didn't know what caught the demon's attention, but it gave him enough of a breather to begin formulating a plan. Thankful that he could think fast on his feet, Sam waited for one of the demons to speak.

The blonde, Lust, granted his wish. "I don't care what he is; I wouldn't mind getting a piece of that." She licked her lips seductively.

Pride glared at Lust. "Stop flirting with the intruder. Once we figure out how Azazel found us, you can have your way with him."

Sam turned his attention to Walter Rosen. "You can thank Envy for that. I've been following him since his little shopping venture earlier today." A muffled shout was heard outside the bar doors.

The bartender, Gluttony, smacked Envy upside the head. "What the Hell did you do? What happened to lay low until this demon-army thing blows over?" Something was banging on the doors to the bar.

"I wanted to have some fun, can you blame me? It's not like any of you haven't been sick of playing it safe! Hell, Sloth went out and got an entire family not too long ago!" Envy shot back.

The sounds outside got increasingly more frantic.

Sloth shrugged and downed the rest of his beer. "I was bored."

"Fuck this! There's no way I'm letting some punk-ass _human_ walk into my bar and start a fight between us. We are better than this!" Gluttony shoved a jug of bleach into Sam's hands, placing his left hand on Sam's shoulder. "Drink up, pretty boy."


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: As sad as it is, I don't own Supernatural or any of its characters.**

SPNSPNSPNSPN

Bobby tried his hardest to figure out why these seven demons were working together, especially when they started to bicker. Realization dawned as the argument peaked.

"Dean, we need to get Sam out of there, NOW!" Bobby turned and started to run towards his car.

Dean, heart racing, followed suit. "What's wrong, Bobby? Did you see something I didn't?"

Getting in his car and slamming the doors shut, Bobby whips out his phone, dialing as he turns the car around. "Isaac? You and Tamara need to move. Now." He throws his phone in the backseat and backs the car up at top speeds, slamming into the bar doors with the back of his car.

"What the hell, Bobby?"

Bobby moves forward to try again. "Those aren't your run of the mill demons; they're the Seven Deadly Sins. If we don't get Sam out of there now, he might not make it out of there at all."

Dean sits in shock as the back of the car knocks down the bar doors. He turns in his seat to see Sam raising a jug of bleach to his lips while one of the Sins gripped his shoulder.

SPNSPNSPNSPN

Sam fought the urge to drink the bleach. Deep down inside, he knew it would kill him, but his body wasn't obeying his orders. Slowly, the bleach rose. In the back of his mind, Sam thought some of the demons might have moved towards the front of the bar, maybe there was the sound of a scuffle, but his attention was on stopping himself from getting poisoned.

Wait. _Poison_!

Sam turned his focus to the hand gripping his shoulder. Taking a calming breath, he started to steal the demonic energy from his would-be killer.

The bleach fell to the floor as Gluttony yanked his hand away from Sam's shoulder. "What?"

The sounds of a scuffle became louder. Sam turned to see Dean, Bobby, and two other people, probably hunters, fighting off six of the Seven Deadly Sins. How did Dean find him? When did Bobby back his car into the bar? Sam had a million questions, but they had to wait. His family needed him.

Sam raced into action, grabbing Gluttony's shoulder and draining him of his demonic energy. He turned back to the fight as the demon's body dropped lifelessly to the ground at his feet. Holding his right hand out in front of him Sam yanked the Sins away from the hunters and threw them into the far wall.

Warmth dripped down Sam's chin, blackness quickly stealing his sight. The last thing he's aware of before he's taken by unconsciousness is a familiar shout.

"Sammy!"

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPN

Dean couldn't help the feeling of frustration mounting inside of him. Sam was right in front of him, but the freaking _Seven Deadly Sins_ blocked his way. Or, to be more precise, six of the seven Sins.

Dean faced off against the demons, throwing holy water at any that got too close. He knew better than to try hand-to-hand combat with these demons. Throwing more water as one got too close, Dean's eyes flicked over to Sam. He had his back to Dean, his hand gripping the demon's shoulder.

A movement off to the side made Dean turn, holy water showering over the demon, steam coming off his business suit. As the sizzling ended, the demon sneered at Dean.

"You can't hold us off forever. Sooner or later you'll run out of your precious holy water."

Dean laughed. "Yeah, well sooner or later your ass will be exorcised." Dean's face fell as he failed to throw more holy water at the demon. "Shit! Guys, I need back up, I'm all out of holy-" Dean ducked the demon's fist, "-water."

His request for help was not answered. The hunters' were out of the life-saving substance. Dean evaded another punch, this time giving a jab of his own to the demon's face. Much to his surprise, the demon flew across the room, slamming into the far wall. Seeing five more demons slam into the wall, Dean surmised he didn't punch the demon hard enough to fling him across the room. Bummer.

The threat gone, Dean immediately looked at his brother, surprised to see Sam lower his arm. His brother threw six of the Seven Deadly Sins across the room? Seeing the lifeless body on the floor at Sam's feet, Dean couldn't help wondering if his brother exorcised the demon or found a way to kill it.

Dean was ripped out of his musings when he saw red start to gush from the youngest Winchester's nose. Blood was dripping down Sam's face; his eyes were rolling into the back of his head. Dean jumped up and rushed to his sibling's aid.

"Sammy!" Dean caught Sam and gently lowered him to the ground. "Bobby, we need an exorcism while the demons are down!"

Bobby's words did nothing to comfort the worried Winchester. "They're gone, Dean. They ran after their flight. I'll go outside and scan the immediate area, see if they are still around." Silence filled the air as the back door shut behind the old hunter.

The sound of two guns being cocked turned the crestfallen brother's head. Dean's eyes grew wide, then narrowed as Isaac and Tamara aimed their pistols at Sam.

"You didn't tell us the boy was a demon." Isaac's voice was cold, deadly serious.

"He's not a demon." Dean looked at his brother, blood still coming out of his nose. "He's not." Dean's voice was barely a whisper.

Sensing Dean losing his resolve, Tamara pushed. "How do you explain the demons being thrown across the room? How do you explain the touch of Gluttony," nods at the prone form of the demon on the floor, "not having any effect?"

The back door opened and Bobby entered the bar. He froze when he saw his old friends. "What the hell is going on here?"

"They're trying to kill Sam." Dean looked at Bobby pleadingly. "Please, Bobby, Sam needs medical attention."

Bobby looked from one hunter to the next, then squared his shoulders. "Isaac, Tamara, put your damned guns down. We saw some questionable things tonight, to be sure, but we are not, are NOT, going to let Sam die in this God-forsaken bar."

"He's a demon." Isaac sneered.

Bobby rolled his eyes. "Whether or not that is true, we don't shoot demons and you know it. Stop being so pig-headed and help me get the boy into my car. If he's a demon, we'll exorcise him, but not until we deal with his wounds. Now, you can either help, or get outta my way." Bobby's voice left no room for debate.

Tamara lowered her gun, motioning for Isaac to do the same. As Isaac slowly lowered his weapon with a sigh, Dean and Bobby carefully carried over to Bobby's car and gently lowered his still form into the backseat.

Bobby pulled out of the bar parking lot and sped towards Isaac and Tamara's house, his old friends close behind. Dean was sitting next to his brother, Sam's head lying in his lap. Looking at the two boys in the rearview mirror, Bobby inwardly sighed. It was going to be a long night ahead of them.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural or any of its characters.**

 **I'm done with the next chapter, just waiting on my Beta** ** _Alytiger_** **to get back to me.**

* * *

The first thing Sam was aware of was a dull pounding in his head. He tried to alleviate the pain by rubbing his temples, only to have his movements stopped by something around his wrists. Slowly, Sam forced his eyes open. He was tied to a chair in the middle of a small room. Thankfully, the room was lit by candles along the wall; bright light would've made his headache that much worse.

Sam took in his surroundings. The bare walls gave him no clue as to who captured him. Sam inwardly groaned as a thought hit him. What if the Sins got to him while he was down? Great, now instead of wanting to kill him, they want to torture him. Sam started to pull at the ropes binding his hands and feet, irritated when the rope didn't budge. He stopped his struggling and looked around the room for something to cut the ropes. Glancing up, Sam was surprised to see a devil's trap directly above his chair. Not the Sins, then. Who was it that tied him to the chair?

Whoever tied the ropes knew what they were doing. Sam strained his ears, hoping for something - anything - that would give him a clue as to who or what his captors were. His heart all but stopped when he heard the familiar voice coming from beyond the door.

"But nothing! He is MY brother, not some demon-spawn. I'd know if he was possessed. Hell, I've noticed it in the past!"

 **Just a reminder, Sam was possessed by Dr. James Ellicott in S1 E10 "Asylum" and Meg Masters in S2 E14 "Born Under a Bad Sign."**

A new voice joined his brother's. "If he's been possessed before, he's susceptible to another possession!"

A female's voice interjected. "Isaac's right. Just going by gut instinct you can't know for certain that he is still your brother. I've got holy water in the fridge. We can test him to know for sure."

Possessed? Him? Why would they think...? Crap! That stunt he pulled at the bar. Great. Now two, maybe more, hunters think he's possessed. All things considered, Sam couldn't blame them. If he'd seen someone else throw six demons across the room, demon would be the first thing he'd thought of. At least Dean had his back.

The sounds moved closer, and Sam realized the hunters were coming towards him. He turned his head towards the sounds. "Dean, Bobby, what's going on? Why am I tied up here?" Sam figured it'd be better to play it dumb. He'd get more answers that way. Seeing two more people follow behind his family, he asked, "Who are these people?"

Dean uncapped the flask in his hand, his face a mask. He threw the holy water onto Sam, his face relaxing when he didn't see it sizzle when it hit his skin.

"Sammy." He exhaled, relief evident in his voice.

"Can you untie me now? Or do you honestly think I'm some kind of monster?" Sam couldn't help the hurt expression that crossed his features. Sure, he left his brother at the graveyard, but it was to save him. He didn't consider that Dean might've been hunting him instead of worriedly looking for him like a concerned brother might. Was that why he was at the bar?

Sam was pulled out of his thoughts as Bobby cut the ropes keeping him tied to the chair. "Sam, meet Isaac and Tamara. They're old hunting buddies of mine."

Sam rubbed his wrists as Bobby cut the ties on his ankles. His earlier presumption was right; the unknown people _were_ hunters. Sam has to tread carefully around these two, especially if they thought he was something supernatural.

"Where have you been, Sammy?" Dean's voice was stern, but Sam saw through his act. He had scared his brother when he ran off that night, and Dean wanted answers. Answers that Sam couldn't give him right now.

"I... I can't tell you." Isaac took a threatening step towards Sam, only to be stopped by Bobby's outstretched arm.

Tamara rolled her eyes. "Did you really expect him to tell you anything?"

Sam stood up and looked his brother in the eyes. "Look Dean, I'd love to tell you everything-"

"Then why won't you?" Dean interrupted. Sam held up his hand, silencing his brother.

"-but it's not that simple. I'm sorry you felt the need to tie me up, but I really can't stay here any longer." Dean and Bobby had shocked expressions; Isaac and Tamara took on hostile stances. "I still need to find the rest of the Sins and finish them off."

Isaac couldn't keep quite any longer. "Hold on just a minute. I don't care if you're his brother or the president, you owe us an explanation. How in the Hell did you kill one of the Seven Deadly Sins? How did you throw the rest of them across the room? And why-" He turned to Dean, "-are we not checking to see if he reacts to silver or testing him for anything else? There are more things he could be besides a damned demon."

Silence met Isaac's outburst. Sam was suddenly aware of four pairs of eyes staring at him. He wasn't intimidated by the stares, the questions, any of it, but he was annoyed. Why couldn't they let him go? He still had to defeat the rest of the sins, and staying here being questioned was only putting more people in danger. Sam narrowed his eyes. "Do we really need to have this conversation now? Six of the Seven Deadly Sins are out in the world doing who-knows-what, and you want to question me about what I've been doing? Surely that can wait."

"No, Sam, it doesn't." Bobby stepped closer. Sam stepped back. "Boy, you've caused us so much stress, and all you can say is 'I can't tell you'? I'm going to need a bit more of an explanation, the world be damned."

Music started playing from the lounge, the radio turning on by its self.

"What the bloody hell?!" Tamara growled.

The lights flickered, and Isaac ran into the kitchen, coming back with three bags of salt. "We need to salt the door and windows, now."

Bobby placed a salt line on the front door while Isaac and Tamara did the same to the windows. Sam and Dean ran into the lounge where they grabbed shotguns and shotgun shells packed with salt. The hunters split up, Sam and Dean going upstairs, Isaac, Tamara, and Bobby watching the front door, each holding one of the guns Sam and Dean grabbed.

Dean and Sam looked out the boarded up windows. They both waited in silence. They didn't have to wait long.

* * *

The radio abruptly stopped. Footsteps were heard coming up the porch steps. "We know you have the boy. Hand him over and no one gets hurt."

"Like Hell we will." Bobby growls. "Why do you want him, anyways? So he can beat your sorry asses again?"

Anger laces the voice behind the door. "We will NOT underestimate him again! Unless you want this whole house going down with you in it, I suggest you bring us the boy!"

* * *

Sam looks at Dean, worried. "What if they want to give me up?" He whispers.

Dean, still looking out the window, whispers, "They'll have to get through my dead body."

* * *

Isaac yells through the door, "You'll kill us even if we give you the boy. At least with him in our hand, we have leverage over you." Bobby shoots Isaac a glare that he ignores.

Another voice comes through the door, this time female. "You don't have leverage. All you have is a ticking time bomb. Do you know who he is?" There's a pause. "He's working with Azazel. A _demon_. Who says he won't turn on you?" Isaac and Tamara shoot each other worried looks. "From what I've heard, he's already betrayed you once before."

"Bobby, is that true?" Isaac's voice was barely audible.

Bobby sighed. This was a slippery slope, and if he didn't tread carefully, Sam would pay the price. "Yeah, it is, but don't give him up. He's a good kid, and I know he's got his reasons." Bobby looked upon his old friends, willing them to understand.

* * *

Sam stiffened when Greed sold him out. That was it. Dean was going to give him up to the Sins now. Sam glanced at his brother, surprised that he didn't drag him downstairs and throw him out the door. Feeling his brother's gaze upon him, Dean turned to look at Sam.

"I meant what I said, Sam. I'm not letting them get to you." Dean turned back to the window, then cursed and ran towards the door. "Shit! They're coming in! How did they get past the salt lines?"


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural or any of its characters.**

 **Big thanks to** _ **Bella4evr3**_ **for your review and encouraging words. Hope you enjoy this chapter as well!**

SPNSPNSPNSPN

Bobby cursed as Tamara threw the door open, Isaac close behind her. Tamara tackled the demon outside, stabbing a Paulo Santo stake in the chest, effectively pinning her down, while Isaac read off an exorcism.

Once the door was wide open, salt line destroyed, four of the sins raced up the stairs, eager to get their hands on Sam.

The remaining sin, Sloth, stops at the doorway and turns, facing Bobby. Cursing the old hunter stumbles backwards until his back hits a wall. An evil grin on his face, Sloth slowly approaches the cornered hunter, only to be stopped by an invisible force. Bobby smiles a grin of his own as both he and Sloth look up to see the devil's trap Sam was trapped under not too long ago. Sloth looks at Bobby, fear evident in his black eyes.

"Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life, son."

SPNSPNSPNSPN

Dean runs through the hall upstairs, hoping the demons follow him away from Sam. Hearing someone pursue him, he turns and strikes the blonde behind him. She blocks his arm and attempts to twist it to the side. Dean deftly turns and frees his arm from her grasp.

He slowly backs down the hallway, the blonde approaching with a smirk on her face. Dean silently curses himself for not leading more than just one demon away from his brother.

SPNSPNSPNSPN

Bobby started reading an exorcism of his own, banishing Sloth back into the pit. The combination of his and Isaac's spells caused the house to shake.

SPNSPNSPNSPN

Dean backed into the bathroom room, the blonde close behind. He stumbled when the floor beneath him shook, but quickly regained his footing.

"I suppose you're Lust." Dean backed himself into a wall.

Lust stopped her advance. "Baby, I'm whatever you want me to be." She took a step forward.

Dean squared his shoulders. "Yeah, well, just stay back."

"Or what?" Dean was pretty sure if Lust didn't have completely black eyes, he would've seen her roll her eyes.

Dean struggled for an answer, completely aware he had his back to a wall. "Good point."

Lust took another step closer. "Don't worry. I'm not gonna hurt you. Not yet." She licked her lips seductively and ran her hands up Dean's chest, where they rested on his shoulders. "Not unless you want me to."

Dean's senses were overrun. All he could think about in that moment was how incredibly sexy the woman in front of him was. He reached out and pulled her into a kiss. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Dean knew it was wrong, but God, did it feel _right_.

SPNSPNSPNSPN

The door flew across the room, slamming against the far wall as one of the sins kicked it in. Sam turned to see Pride, Envy, and Wrath walk into the room.

"Here's Johnny!" Pride growled a sadistic look on his face.

Sam held out his holy water container. He knew he couldn't take them on all at once; the only reason it worked last time was because he had stolen the power from Gluttony. Still, he put on his mask and hid his fear.

Pride held up his hand, stopping the advance towards the youngest Winchester. Pride looked up at the ceiling where a devil's trap had been painted. "Come on, you really think something like that is going to fool someone like me? I mean, _me_?"

Sam smirked. "It doesn't hurt to try, does it Pride?"

Pride offered a smirk of his own before he flicked his wrist upwards, cracking the ceiling and breaking the devil's trap.

"I'm the root of all sin, and you, Sam Winchester, may be the protégé of Azazel, you may be the 'Boy King,' but you are still no match for me." Pride slowly approached Sam, his lips curling into an evil smile. "You see, looking at you now, without your little kick of stolen energy, I don't see a threat."

Sam's eyes widened. "How'd you..?"

Envy laughed. "Don't underestimate us, Winchester. We saw what you did to Gluttony. But we also know that little jolt was only temporary."

"And it sure did a wonder on you." Wrath added. "If you do that again, your little family won't be able to help you out when you black out. You'll be ours."

"You think I'm going to bow to a cut rate, piss poor human like you?" Pride sneered. "I have my _pride_ after all."

Sam had to fight to keep from rolling his eyes. Boy, were these guys full of it.

"And now that you're powerless, I guess I don't really have to pay for a damn thing, now do I?" Pride tilted his head, as if challenging Sam to offer a rebuttal.

Sam realized the Sins had no idea he still had powers. They thought his powers came from stealing a demon's life force. Although his powers were nowhere near as strong as they were earlier, Sam had the element of surprise on his side. He could work with this.

Not hearing an argument from the scheming Winchester, Pride continued. "You're fair game now, boy. And it's open season."

SPNSPNSPNSPN

Dean couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. His make-out sessions with the blonde was amazing, don't get him wrong, but he couldn't shake the feeling that he should be doing something else.

The sound of the roof splintering in the other room brought Dean back to his senses. Carefully, he maneuvered his body so the bathtub was behind him. His grip in Lust's hair went from sexual to manhandling as he turned and shoved her into the wall behind him.

"Dean!" Relief fills Dean at the sound of Bobby's voice.

"Bobby, the tub!" Bobby looks between Dean and the demon, understanding flashing across his face. Quickly, Bobby rushed across the room and started to fill the bathtub with water.

Lust shoots Dean an icy glare. "I don't know _how_ you managed to break free of my touch, but you will pay." She lunged at Dean, only to be knocked back by a shot to the chest.

Dean looked at the doorway and saw Isaac holding a shotgun, barrel smoking; Tamara was right behind him. Lust tackled Dean while his attention was diverted, the two of them falling to the ground, Lust on top. Dean caught Lust with a hook to the jaw, throwing her off of him. Isaac and Tamara pulled her up and held her back as Dean stood up.

"Are you done yet, Bobby?" Dean asked.

"Don't get your panties in a twist; I had to let the tub fill up first." Bobby grumbled. Setting his shoulders, Bobby began to chant the incantation. "Exorcizo te, creatura aquae. In nomine dei patris omnipotentis et in virtute spiritus sancti." He dropped the rosary into the water.

Dean grabbed Lust from Tamara and Isaac and shoved her blonde head into the holy bath water. Steam rose from the water as Lust screamed and thrashed against Dean's hold. He yanked her out of the water by her hair. Lust gasped, steam still rising from her face. Dean, unsatisfied, shoved her back under the water.

SPNSPNSPNSPN

Sam struggled to breathe, clawing at the invisible force around his neck. Pride had lifted him off the ground, and now Sam was dangling in the air two feet off the ground. Thankfully, Pride threw him against the wall, letting Sam drop to the ground gasping for air. Pride pulled the recovering Winchester into a headlock, cutting his airwave off, again.

Sam tried to take the demonic power from pride like he had Gluttony, but the lack of air was making him dizzy, unable to focus. As he pulled at the unmoving arms around his throat, Sam heard Pride laugh.

 _This is it._ Sam thought. _This is how I'm going to die. Of all the ways to go out, I get choked to death._

Suddenly, the pressure was alleviated. Sam turned to see Wrath on the ground, throat slashed, and a blonde haired woman pulling a knife out of Envy's throat.

Pride jumped at the mysterious woman and wrapped his arms around her, pinning her arms to the side. Sam stood up, still gasping for breath, and pulled Pride off of her. As Pride spun around to face him, Sam clocked him across the face, spinning the demon to face the blonde. She took her knife and jabbed it up through Pride's mouth, an orange light momentarily flashing inside of him before he dropped lifelessly to the ground.

"Who the hell are you?" Sam asked, still breathing heavy.

The blonde tilted her head to the side. "I'm the girl who just saved your ass."

Sam nodded. "Well, I just saved yours, too."

The woman huffed, amused. "Let's get out of here, Sam."

Shock filled Sam's facial features. The woman turned to go. "Wait!" She didn't. Sam had to run to catch up with her.

Footsteps were heard coming down the hallway towards them. "Time to leave, are you coming or not?" The woman stared at Sam, impatient. "Do you really think that these hunters will just let you go? It's now or never." With Sam's reluctant nod, she placed her hand on his shoulder.

SPNSPNSPNSPN

Dean rounded the corner at a sprint, running to the room he left his brother in. How could he have been so stupid? He left his brother alone with three of the Seven Deadly Sins, demons who wanted his little brother dead.

Dread filled Dean as he saw the door missing. He skidded to a stop in the doorway and took in the scene before him.

The door was lying on the ground ten feet away, ripped from its hinges. Three bodies scattered the floor, blood oozing out of their wounds. The bodies looked dead, and only one person could kill a demon as far as Dean knew: Sam, who was missing.

The house shook. Dean made a mental note that Lust was exorcised, but, honestly, he didn't care. All Dean wanted was his Sammy back. Hell, he'd almost had him, too, until the Sins laid siege to the house.

Hearing the sound of footsteps, Dean went back into the hallway. "Sam?" He called. Dean's hopes were crushed when he saw Bobby turn the corner.

"Dean, we just sent the bitch back to hell. The girl made it through, besides the usual psychological damage." Bobby took in Dean's slumped shoulders and the defeated look on his face. "What's wrong, son?"

Dean took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "Sammy's gone, Bobby. The remaining demons are dead in the room I left him in, but Sam-" Dean's voice broke on his brother's name. "I just got him back, and now I've lost him."

Bobby walked up to the crestfallen hunter and pulled him into a hug, chick flick moments be damned. "You know your brother. He does what he thinks is best, even if we don't agree. That's why him and your daddy-" Dean stiffened, and Bobby silently berated himself for bringing up John. He pulled back and looked Dean in the eyes. "Sam's tough, and he ain't no idiot. He's going to be fine. In the meantime, let's clean up here."

SPNSPNSPNSPN

Sam looked around at his new surroundings. He was back in the asylum, in the main hall where Azazel had set up their chairs. Looking up at the chairs, Sam was surprised to see the blonde sitting in Azazel's seat, the demon in question currently out of the room.

"I'm guessing you're a demon, since you teleported us here." Sam walked up to her and took his seat.

She smirked. "Guess you do have some brains after all." She stuck out her hand. "The name's Ruby. I'll be helping you get stronger."

Sam stared at the manicured hand in front of him. Going against his better judgment, Sam took her hand in his. "What type of knife kills demons? I haven't heard of anything that kills demons, and I've only recently learned how to do it myself."

Ruby sighed. "Newsflash, hot stuff. You didn't kill Gluttony. All you did was send his traitorous ass back into the depths of hell, where he'll be tortured for his insubordination."

Shit. Turns out Sam can't kill demons, all he can do is kill their 'meat suits' with a touch. Didn't that just make Sam feel _great_. The guy probably would've lived if he exorcised the demon, but no, he had to kill an innocent.

Ruby spoke up, annoyed. "Stop brooding, Winchester. We have work to do, and we can't very well do it when you feel bad about a corpse."

Sam sat up straight in his seat. "The person was innocent."

Ruby rolled her eyes. "So? Gluttony was trying to _kill you_ , or have you forgotten that? It was life or death, and you chose life. Get over it." She stood up and leaned over Sam, her voice a soft whisper. "This is a war, Sam. People die, but if you stick with me, I can get you what you need to start saving people, leaving survivors." Ruby stood upright as the door to the main hall opened and Azazel walked in.

"Sammy! I heard you were back and I had to see for myself. Great work out there, champ. I see you've met Ruby. She's going to be heading your training from now on." Azazel sat down in his chair, a grimace forming on his face. "Ruby, someone's been sitting in my chair. Find out who did it and have them flayed."

Ruby winked and Sam, then turned to leave, throwing, "Whatever you say, boss," over her shoulder.

Azazel grumbled quietly to himself. "I don't tolerate insubordination. Especially when I'm trying to execute _his_ plans."

Realizing Sam was still with him, Azazel cleared his throat. "So, tell me about your mission."

SPNSPNSPNSPN

Isaac and Dean placed the last of the bodies into the pit. Climbing out, Dean threw gasoline on the still forms while Isaac threw salt. Tamara and Bobby walked up just as Dean threw a match into the pit.

"We got the girl and guy back into town safely." Tamara informed the others, moving to stand next to Isaac. "Hopefully they can go back to their normal lives."

Isaac turned to his old friend. "Our work is done here, Bobby. Me and Tamara, we have to head out."

"Be careful out there." Bobby hugged his friends goodbye, then watched as they climbed into their car.

"See you gents around!" Tamara called as they sped off.

Dean turned to face the old hunter, confused. "Bobby, where did Sam get a knife, and why did he stab the demons with it? I thought there wasn't a blade that could kill a demon, and Sam can take them out with his bare hands. Something just doesn't add up."

Bobby went silent, thinking. "I don't know Dean. No knife I've ever heard of can kill a demon, and as for Sam, your guess is as good as mine."

They stood in silence, watching the flames grow higher, when Dean spoke up again. "Bobby?"

"Yeah?"

"If Sam let out the Seven Deadly Sins, what else did he let out?"


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: Still don't own Supernatural or any of its characters.**

* * *

"And then Ruby popped us back here." Sam concluded.

Azazel leaned back in his chair, thoughtful. "My assumption was correct then." Nonchalantly, he called, "Dante!"

The double doors opened and Dante saunters in. His smug expression falters slightly when he sees Sam, but Dante quickly recovers, smoothing his black hair back. "What can I do for you?"

Azazel glanced at Sam and broke into a grin. "Remember that mission I sent my little protégé on? The one you said he wouldn't be able to handle?" Dante looked slightly uncomfortable, shifting from one foot to the other. "Well, he pulled it off! Three of the traitors are dead; the remaining four are contained, being properly punished as we speak."

When Dante spoke, his voice wavered. "That's, uh, great boss. As usual, you were right."

Azazel sat up in his chair, an idea forming in his mind. "Dante, I want you to take Sam down to see our guests." An evil glint shone in Azazel's eyes.

Sam, who had been watching the exchange with mild amusement, shot out of his seat. "You want me to go down to hell to see the demons I just sent down there? Are you insane?"

Azazel chuckled, standing up and placing his hand on Sam's shoulder. "It'll be a good experience for you. If you're ever going to lead the army and give them threats, you might as well know what you're sentencing them to." He patted Sam's shoulder and turned to leave. "Take good care of him, Dante." Azazel shut the double doors behind him with the flick of his wrist.

Dante watched the double doors shut, running his hand over his slicked-back, black hair. "This complicates things." He mumbled.

Sam walked over to the fuming demon. "Let's just get this over with. The faster I talk to the Sins, the faster I can get back to training."

Black, suspicious eyes turned towards Sam. "Why are you so eager to train, Winchester?"

Rolling his eyes, Sam responded, "Is it really that hard to understand? I'm surrounded by _demons_. Back-stabbing comes as a given. I already _know_ that you hate me and would rather have a demon, maybe yourself, lead the army instead of a human like me. If I don't stay on top of my game, getting stronger every day, someone will come around and kill me. So yeah, I'm eager to train again. Are we done with the pow-wow? I have some demons to taunt."

Dante bristled. "Fine, then. Let's go, _Winchester_." He put his hand on Sam's shoulder, teleporting them into the depths of Hell.

* * *

Sam looked around at his new environment. There were cages lining the walls, prison bars holding in the damned souls that would inevitably become twisted and join his demon army.

Dante looked over his shoulder at the man behind him. "Keep up Winchester. Like you said before, there are plenty of demons who wouldn't mind offing you." Sam's long legs easily brought him next to Dante, where the demon and boy king walked in silence, side by side.

"Why haven't you killed him yet?" Sam glanced at Dante, surprised by the sudden inquisition. Dante was staring straight ahead, face a mask.

"Killed who?" Sam asked.

Dante's voice was emotionless. "Azazel. You obviously have the power to do it. Why haven't you killed him yet?"

Sam looked away, thoughtful.

Voices pleading for salvation came from the cages. "Please, help me." A quavering voice called out. The two men ignored the cries for help.

"I guess I have to pick the perfect moment. I mean, I've already let loose who knows how many demons when I opened the gate to hell with the Colt. If I just killed Azazel today, the demons would still be out there, and I'd be no better off than I was to start with."

A blood curling shriek pierced the air.

Sam continued, unfazed. "At least right now I have someone to train me to use my powers. I have a chance to use this, this _poison_ in me, for good. That won't happen if I quit this little charade."

As Sam finished, he took notice of his new surroundings. The prison bars were gone, replaced by rows of tables; the souls stuck on them restrained at the wrists and ankles, demons standing over them. Each table had a different array of torture devices next to it. The tortured soul closest to Sam was being flayed.

Dante's voice pulled Sam away from the horrors around him. "I would've killed him by now."

Sam started at Dante, shocked. The demon before him, one he was sure was going to kill him the second he turned his back, just told him he would kill his boss if given the chance. Dante's features were hard, anger barely masked.

Honestly, Sam couldn't blame him. Azazel was the only demon above Dante. With him out of the way, Dante would be ruler of hell. But, if that was so, why didn't Dante kill Azazel?

"Why haven't you killed him yourself?"

Dante stopped, sighing. "Hell is complicated. I need the support of the other demons first; otherwise someone else will hop in and take the job, most likely demoting me in the process. Besides, no one kills another demon without everyone knowing about it. There's no way I could cover that kind of thing up."

The only sounds were the screams of the damned. Neither Sam nor Dante spoke, both taking in this new bit of information. Vaguely, the youngest Winchester was aware of the smell of seared flesh, acid baths dissolving the skin of the souls unfortunate enough to end up in this level of hell.

Dante started to walk again, Sam following closely behind him. Dante was tense, more so than the little heart-to-heart warranted.

"What's up with you? Is there some sort of danger around that I can't sense?" Sam questioned.

Dante flinched, embarrassed Sam was able to sense his discomfort. "I don't like it down here. The sooner we get out of here, the better."

Dante's pace quickened as he passed by meat hooks hanging from the ceiling. Sam, confused and incredibly interested, decided to prod.

"What are those?" Sam motions to the hooks.

"We call them the racks." Dante doesn't slow down; the opposite happens. Sam struggles to keep up, even with his long legs.

Once they had passed the racks, Dante slowed down to a normal walking pace. "Look, hell's no playground for anyone. Not even demons. The only demon I know of who enjoys it down here is Alastair. He heads the torture department for the racks." He stole a glance at Sam, gauging his reaction. "He's a torture master. People who go on those racks, they don't come off the same. They come off... dark."

Sensing Sam's obviously confused expression, Dante stopped and stared him straight in the eye. "Hell is like, well, it's like hell. Even for demons. It's a prison, made of bone and flesh and blood and fear. People get on the racks and go through such an excruciating amount of pain that they'd do anything, _anything_ , to make it stop. It's Alastair's art form. The people that come off aren't people anymore. They're demons. They get a deal, step off the rack at the day's end and torture someone else. Once someone takes that deal, their soul twists even darker than it was before. But even then, most people, most _demons_ , can't take it down here. So they do the only thing that gives them an escape: they go to your world and make deals with people. All demons were human once, but most of us don't remember what it's like anymore."

Glancing over his shoulder, Dante ran his hand over his slicked-back black hair. "We're here."


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural; I just borrow the characters and tweak the plot a bit.**

* * *

Four bodies hung by the wrists, manacled to the wall. Sam gazed at the pitiful figures in front of him, disgusted at these once-powerful demons quavering before him.

Slowly, one lifted its head. "Pl-please. Make the pain stop." Gluttony pleaded, blood slowly dripping down the side of his face.

Dante snorted. "You haven't been down here more than a day in upstairs time. This," Dante motioned towards the abyss around them, "is _nothing_."

Gluttony's faced filled with half-hearted rage before he dropped his head, defeated. The other forms don't bother moving, accepting the grim fate that has befallen them.

Something stirs within the youngest Winchester. Sam realized that the Sins before him-Gluttony, Greed, Lust, Sloth-were going to be tortured for their crimes. While the demons thought the crime was leaving the all-important army, the Sins were also paying for their crimes against humanity. They deserved what was coming to them.

Glaring, Sam addressed the figures in front of him. "You should've killed me earlier. You could've said your threats, asked your questions, when I was in Hell. When I was where _you_ are now. Ever hear of shoot first, ask questions later?" Sam turned away, tossing over his shoulder, "You missed your chance. Enjoy your torment."

He strode away, Dante close on his heels.

* * *

The minutes ticked by slowly. Sam waited impatiently, fingers drumming against the table. Ruby texted him when he left hell to go to this stupid little diner. Sam ordered his lunch and waited, and waited, and waited. Just when Sam was about to leave, the demon sat across from him.

"What the hell, Ruby? It took you forever to get here."

"Hello, Sam. It's nice to see you, too." Ruby reached over and stole one of Sam's fries. "These are amazing. It's like deep fried crack. Try some."

Sam rolled his eyes and leaned forward. "Are we going to start training now, or are you just going to eat my food?"

Ruby leaned back, annoyed. "We _are_ training. There's a job in this town, and you are going to swoop in and save the day."

Sam looked around the café, then leaned closer and hissed, "I thought we were going to enhance my skills, not prance out in the open waiting for my brother to find me!"

Ruby leaned back, stealing another fry. "Think about it. You work better under the pressure of a case, when it's life or death, than you do in some weird training simulation. As for your brother, he won't be able to get to us; he's working another case right now. And yeah, I'm keeping tabs on him." She held up a hand to stop Sam's protests. "Can't have him barging in on your training sessions, now can we?"

Sam sat back into the booth, deep in thought. It was true that the previous training session with Azazel had been a failure, and he did fare well facing off against the Seven Deadly Sins. Maybe a job _would_ be the best way to hone his powers.

"What's the job?"

Ruby grinned. "There have been five deaths recently, all in the same neighborhood. Why don't you do what you do best, and I'll catch up with you later?" With that, Ruby teleported away, leaving Sam with a myriad of questions and a newspaper article that read "Man Dead in Tragic Home Accident."

* * *

"So once again I'm very sorry to disturb you, we just really want to expedite that life insurance policy." Sam apologized to the mother as she led him to the backyard.

"Of course." She stopped in front of a ladder propped up against the wall near a boarded up window. "This is, um, where he fell."

Sam looked up at the window. "I see." Walking forward, he asked, "Now how exactly did he?"

"He was just inside changing a light bulb. Must've lost his balance."

Sam looked at her. "Were you here when this happened?"

She shook her head. "No, I was out. Uh, the only one here was our daughter, Dakota."

Sam looked back at the window, his gaze dropping to another window. A little girl stood there, her face blank, staring back at him. A red substance was on the windowsill. Looking a little farther, Sam saw the same thing on the fence lining the yard.

Sam swallowed. "Okay, well, uh, I think that's all I need. I'll get out of your way now."

"Okay, thank you." The mother turned to lead Sam back through the house to the front door. On her neck was a small bite mark, teeth marks created in a circle.

Sam left the house and headed towards the next one on his list. He had an idea of what the creature was, but he had to check out the other houses first to see if the dots connected.

* * *

Sam was on his laptop when Ruby popped into his crappy motel room. "Find out what was wrong in a happy-go-lucky neighborhood like Morning Hill?"

Sam glances up at her. "Changelings. There's one in every victim's house." Sam pulled up a map of the neighborhood, red X's marking the houses in question.

He continued. "So, changelings can perfectly mimic children. According to lore, they climb in the window, snatch the kid. There were marks on the windows at every one of the kids' houses; at first glance I thought it was blood. Upon closer inspection I realized it was red dirt."

Ruby sat down on the bed, leaning back against the headboard. "So, the changeling steals a kid and takes its place why?"

"Changelings feed on the mom, the synovial fluid. All the moms have weird bruises on the back of their necks, teeth marks ringing the bruises. Changelings can drain a mom for a few weeks before she finally croaks."

"And the dads and babysitter were in between the changeling and the food source." Ruby nodded. "Seems like a fair reason to kill someone." When Sam glared at her, Ruby just smiled. "What? I'm a demon, remember?"

Sam looked back at his laptop. "The real kids are out there somewhere. According to lore, the changelings hide them underground. I don't know why they do it, I'm just thankful we can save the kids."

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Yeah, save the kids. Be the knight in shining armor. We need to focus on the killing part. What kills them?"

"As far as I know, fire is the only thing that kills them." Sam closed his laptop. "I've made a homemade flame thrower. My plan is to look in the basement of a house that is still under construction, one with loose dirt piled around it that the changeling could've stepped in. Once the kids are safe, I'm going to hunt down the changelings."

Ruby scoffed. "Don't waste your time with the kids or the flamethrower. We are here so you can practice using your powers, or did you forget?"

Sam stood up and walked over to the bed. "This isn't a freaking demon problem, Ruby! My powers can't help me here, but I'm not going to just up and leave these poor kids to die! This trip isn't a waste; it's a chance for me to save some lives. You can either help me or get out of my way."

Ruby huffed and stood up. "Well, someone's going to have to save your sorry ass when you mess up. Let's go. We're wasting time."

* * *

They pulled up to the last unfinished house in the neighborhood. A pile of red dirt stood in the front yard, illuminated by the soft glow of the moon.

Ruby walked with Sam to the front door of the house. "Of course the brats-sorry, children-are in the last house we check. If they aren't in this one, we are leaving them and killing the changelings."

Sam ignored her, opening the front door. "You take the front; I'm going to go around back."

He jumped off the porch and raced around to the back of the house.

Sam opened the back door, pulling out his flashlight. He slowly crept through the house, listening for any sounds that might indicate the children were there.

A soft bump sounded from down the stairs to Sam's left. Carefully, he descended the stairs, ears and eyes pricked for anything out of the ordinary. Sam stopped at the bottom of the stairs and listened. The bump sounded again, louder this time. Sam turned towards the sound, flashlight moving back and forth, checking every corner.

Turning the corner, Sam saw cages lining the walls. The first few were empty, waiting for another child. A small hand reaches through a cage a few feet away.

"Hey, kid! Are you alright?" Sam kneels down in front of a little boy with short brown hair. Seeing his nod, Sam breathes a sigh of relief. He wasn't too late. "I'm going to get you out of here, okay?"

As Sam checked the locks on the cages, he heard a commotion upstairs. Great, Ruby encountered one of them. Figuring the changeling already knew they were there, Sam took a crowbar out of his bag and started to hit the lock with it. One lock broke, one kid was out. He kept going until all six children, and one adult, were free.

The sounds upstairs had stopped, making Sam move faster.

"Cover your eyes!" Sam used the crowbar to smash open the basement window. He was looking for some way to cover the broken glass when a small jacket was put into his hand.

The brown haired boy looked up at him. "Use this."

Sam nodded and laid the jacket on the ground outside the window. As quickly as he safely could, Sam started to lift the children through the window.

"Sam! Sam!" Ruby came around the corner. "You didn't tell me there was a mother changeling!"

"Mother? Guess that's why she was taken." Sam motioned to the woman leaning against the wall.

"Sam, she got past me. She could be here any second." Ruby went over to Sam's bag lying on the floor and picked up his flame thrower. "I'll stand watch, but you've gotta hurry."

As Sam helped the woman out the window, he felt heat from behind him. Ruby found the mom.

The fire stopped, followed by a clanging sound. The mother had knocked the flamethrower out of Ruby's hand. Sam turned around to see the neighborhood realtor walking towards him.

Pushing the kids behind him, Sam said, "You kept these kids alive to feed on them, didn't you?"

She laughed. "Look who has a brain. Too bad you have to die."

Sam knelt down. "Not today."

Sawdust flew through the air and landed in the mother's eyes. She clawed desperately at them, vainly trying to clear up her vision, as Sam dove for the dropped flamethrower. He turned to torch the mother changeling, only to have the flamethrower kicked out of his hand.

The mother hooked Sam across the face, causing him to stumble backwards. He looked back at her just in time to be kneed in the stomach. Bending over, Sam felt a sharp pain as the mother elbowed him between the shoulder blades. With supernatural strength, she threw Sam across the room.

Ruby came up to the mother. "Take this, bitch." Ruby hooked the mother across the face. The mother didn't seem to notice it, giving a hard kick to Ruby's stomach, sending her flying across the room. Ruby stood up, cracked her neck, and snarled, "Let's play."

Lunging at the mother, Ruby gave her a knee strike of her own, followed by a kick to the back of the knee, knocking her down. On a knee, the mother swept Ruby's legs out from under her.

As Ruby fought the mother, Sam stood up and hurried back to the window to lift the rest of the kids out. Once the children were safe, Sam searched for the flamethrower. Sam spotted it just as the mother knocked Ruby to the ground. Aiming the weapon, Sam yelled, "Ruby, cover your eyes!"

The flames destroyed the mother almost instantaneously. Nothing was left of her, not even a pile of ash.

Sam helped Ruby stand back up. "Do you think the other changelings are gone?" She asked, brushing sawdust off her pants.

Sam shrugged. "Only one way to find out. Let's take these kids home."

* * *

Sam pulled up to the last house, the brown haired boy's house. A woman opened the door as he cut the engine.

"Ben? Oh my God, Ben! Baby, are you okay?!" She ran across the lawn and pulled the boy into a hug.

Sam stepped out of the car, while Ruby lied in the backseat, hidden from view.

"I'm okay, mom." Ben assured the woman.

She looked up at Sam, eyes pleading for the truth. "What the hell just happened? Last night, Ben was asking for me to play with him, but it wasn't _really_ him, and then he-it-burst into flames."

Sam gave a half-hearted smile. "I'll explain everything if you want me to, but the important thing is that Ben is safe."

She looked down at Ben, back at Sam, and pulled him into a hug. "Thank you."

Stepping back, the woman tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I'm Lisa."

"Sam."

"Come inside, Sam. I'd like to know what happened."

They headed inside, where Lisa set up a snack for Ben. As he ate his snack and listened to his music via headphones, Sam told Lisa what happened.

"Changelings? Do you think he'll be okay?"

Sam nodded. "He's a brave kid. I think he'll be fine."

Sam's phone buzzed in his pocket. He knew without even checking who it was: Ruby.

"I'm sorry to leave so soon, Lisa, But I have to go."

Lisa smiled. "It's fine, you've done more than enough. Ben wouldn't be alive without you."

One last hug goodbye, and Sam is out the door and in the car. Ruby slips into the front seat next to him. "Let's go. All these touchy-feely moments are making me want to puke."

A smile creeps onto Sam's face. "What? You're not a fan of chick flick moments?"

Ruby snorts. "Is that what you call it? Dork."

"Jerk." Sam automatically replies. He instantly regretted it, silently kicking himself.

Ruby just laughed and turned the music up, unaware of Sam's inner turmoil. Sam pulled the car out of the driveway and started the drive back home.

* * *

A black '67 Impala pulled up to the quaint little home in the Morning Hill neighborhood. Black combat boots step out of the car and walk up the driveway to the front door.

Lisa, hearing someone knocking on the door, paused the TV. She opened the door to find Dean Winchester in front of her.

"Dean!"

Dean smiles awkwardly. "Lisa. How's it going?"

"Wow, so, uh, how, long's it been?"

Dean shifts his feet. "Eight, going on nine years now. Crazy, right?" He smiles seductively.

"Yeah." Silence falls between them. "So, what are you doing here?"

Dean rubs his hand across the back of his neck. "Just finished a job, I was close by, decided to stop and visit. I remember you love surprises." That was only partially true. Dean had just finished a job Bobby put him on and, deciding it was time for a vacation, drove three hours to visit an old hook up of his.

Lisa laughed. "Dean Winchester. Wow. Well, uh, I'm really sorry, but this isn't a good time. Me and my son just went through an ordeal, so..."

Dean's smile fell. "Are you hurt? What happened?"

Lisa tried to brush him off. "Look, it's been handled. Another knight in shining armor already saved the day."

Confused, Dean pressed the matter. "If you were in danger I want to know."

Lisa sighed. "Look, if I told you, you'd think I was crazy, and Sam already got rid of-"

Dean stopped her. "Did you just say Sam?"


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural.**

 **Super sorry for the short chapter, but I'm going on a hiatus for the time being for Boy King. I've lost my muse :( I'm going to try writing other stories for the time being, then I'll get back to this one.**

* * *

It had been two months since Dean had started his renewed search for Sam. Two months since Lisa told him how Sam had saved her son's (she had a fucking son!) life.

Dean was starting to lose hope. He'd hear about something weird happening and check it out, only to find that Sam had been there and saved the day. Damn, but he was close that last time. But now, a week later, there was no sign of Sam.

Dean was at the end of his rope. He was getting desperate. In a last ditch effort to find his little brother, the eldest Winchester was driving across the country to visit an old acquaintance of his. They didn't exactly part on the nicest of terms, but Dean knew that Gordon Walker had been keeping tabs on Sam.

The prison came into view, and Dean tightened his grip on the steering wheel. This was going to be a fun conversation.

* * *

"Dean Winchester. What a surprise." Gordon smiled.

Dean cut to the chase. "Look, I know you, and for whatever reason you're obsessed with my brother. A person like you wouldn't just let him go, so where is he?"

Gordon lifted an eyebrow. "Me? Keep tabs on your brother? Why, I'm in a high-security prison thanks to him. They won't exactly let me have internet access here."

Dean tightened his grip on the phone. He had to keep his cool, otherwise Gordon wouldn't help him. "You have your sources."

"Indeed I do." A wry smile slowly creeps onto Gordon's face. "What I'd like to know is why Sammy isn't with you."

"His name is SAM!" Dean lowered his voice. "Look, somethings happened, which you probably have heard about by now-"

Gordon cut Dean off. "Dean, when will you realize your brother is the enemy? He's working with _demons_ now. It doesn't get much more obvious than that. Why won't you hunt him down and end this?"

Dean restrained himself from punching through the glass and killing Walker right then and there. Taking a calming breath, Dean explained, "Because he's my brother, my family. You don't kill family."

"He's tainted."

"He's Sam."

Gordon looked to his left and right, making sure no one was listening. "Help get me out of here and I'll tell you where your brother is."

Dean's heart stopped. Gordon just confirmed he knew where Sam was, but in order to get that information, Dean would have to let out the madman who tried to kill Sam in the first place.

"You'll kill Sam the second I get you out of here."

Gordon smiled. Dean had considered his offer. "How about I promise to not kill your brother?"

Dean snorted. "Like I'd believe you."

"I'd swear it on the Holy Bible." Gordon cocked his eyebrow. "What do ya say?"

Dean chewed on his bottom lip. He was desperate; that's why he visited Gordon in the first place. Letting out Gordon was a bad idea on so many levels, and yet he _was_ one of the best hunters around...

"Okay Gordon, you got yourself a deal."


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural.**

 **Don't expect me to post once a week, I post when I post.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

The demon flew across the field, slamming into a tree trunk. Sam smiled and raised his hand.

"Ready?" He called to Ruby.

She flipped her blonde hair over her shoulder with a laugh. "Go already."

Sam pulled the demon back towards him and clamped his hand on its shoulder. Concentrating, Sam pulled the demonic energy out of the demon until the meatsuit dropped lifelessly to the ground.

"Three seconds. You're getting faster."

Sam felt under his nose. "No nosebleed either. I just wish I could've saved the meatsuit, er, person."

Ruby rolled her eyes. "You can't save everyone, Sam. Although..." She had a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"Although what?" Sam grabbed Ruby's shoulders.

"Let go goliath. I _could_ teach you a different way to exorcise demons. It's a bit more powerful, and, with practice, you'd be able to save the meatsuits."

"Let's get started!"

"Calm down, we need to give you something first. As I said, it's more powerful." Ruby gave Sam a look. "More power than you currently have."

Confused and a little irritated, Sam turned away. "What's the point in getting my hopes up if there's nothing we can do about it?"  
Ruby grabbed Sam's arm and turned him to face her. "I didn't say there was nothing we could do, wise guy. I said it would take more power. Luckily for you, I have the means to give you the boost you need."

Sam cocked an eyebrow. "What's the boost?"

Ruby smirked. "Let's call it a... smoothie. It's going to be more powerful than your usual kale sludge, but at least it'll taste better."

Sam furrowed his brow. "What is it, Ruby? And don't give me that 'smoothie' crap. What is it _really_?"

"I'll go get it now." Ruby disappeared, leaving Sam to guess what concoction she would bring.

What the hell was she going to give him? Sam figured he had an equal chance of getting stronger and getting poisoned. Ruby, as much as it seemed she wanted to help him, was still a demon.

Sam thought about his room in the asylum and pictured himself there. He appeared in his room and walked over to his chest of drawers. Teleporting didn't faze him anymore; Azazel was right when he said that Sam would get used to it.

Sam changed into sweats and a tank top and teleported outside. He hated sitting on his ass doing nothing, so Sam decided he was going on a run.

After stretching, the youngest Winchester started off on his run. Running was Sam's escape, a way to clear his head.

What was he thinking? He was working side-by-side with demons. He turned his back on his brother. He was going to drink a concoction made by a demon and not bat an eye. Sam's life had gotten so complicated. When did it stop being about saving people and hunting things? When did Sam become something him and his brother hunted?

Shut up Winchester. There's no time for doubt. You started this plan to save your family, and unless you want Dean and Bobby to die, you damn well better see it through. Besides, you will be saving people. Ruby will come back with a drink that will make it possible to save people.

Sam ran for half an hour nonstop, trying to get away from the madness his life had become. After stretching so his muscles wouldn't tighten up, Sam teleported back to his room to shower off.

Climbing out of the shower, Sam heard his phone ring. "Hi Ruby."

A pissed off voice sounded from the phone. "Where have you been?! I got what you needed and when I came back, you were gone!"

Sam smiled as he dried off his hair. "I don't bring my phone with me on my runs; it's my me time."

Silence on the other line, then a voice trying to subdue anger. "You went on a run?"

"Yeah, it was better than waiting for this mysterious drink. Look, just come to my room. I just got out of the shower."

No sooner had those words left Sam's mouth when Ruby appeared in front of him.

She looked him up and down, taking in the towel wrapped around his waist. "You weren't kidding when you said you _just_ got out of the shower."

Sam fumed. "I didn't mean pop into my room; I meant take the time to get here so I could change!"

Ruby sat down on Sam's neatly made bed, lounging back. "I don't mind, you can get dressed now."

Sam turned red. "Where's this drink you brought."

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Look, as soon as you drink it, the training begins, so get dressed. I'll even turn my back if it makes you feel better."

Sam walked over to his dresser, pulled out a change of clothes, and walked back into the bathroom. After he changed, Sam walked back out to see Ruby was gone. A note was left on the table. _Meet me in the main hall. ~Ruby_

* * *

Sam stopped outside the double doors leading into the main hall. He could hear voices from the inside.

"Why would you give that to him NOW?!" Sam knew that voice: Azazel.

A sigh: Ruby. "I thought you _wanted_ him to get stronger. Isn't that why you made me his trainer?"

The sound of someone shifting in a chair. "Yes, but-"

"AND didn't you say Sam needed to progress faster?"

"Yes, but-"

"Don't forget what we need him to do in the end! If I can't get him to start now, how will I convince him to later?"

"FINE! I just wish I had his trust before you gave him too much power."

A female laugh: Ruby's. "You're not _scared_ , are you? Don't worry, he is beginning to trust _me_ , and that's better than nothing."

Sam had heard enough. He pushed open the double doors. "Ruby, you said to meet you here."

Ruby smiled while Azazel tried to control his facial features. "I've got your drink here." Ruby held up a silver flask.

Sam walked over and took the flask from her, cautious. "What's in it?"

Azazel turned to look at Ruby, annoyed. "You haven't told him yet?!"

Ruby shrugged. "It's not that big of a deal." Turning to Sam, she remarked, "Try it first, then I'll tell you. Promise."

* * *

 **I hope you guys figured out what's in the flask! If you know, please don't spoil it in the comments. If you really want to know if your guess is correct, feel free to PM me.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: Nothing new. Don't own Supernatural.**

 **Short chapter, I know, but I thought this was a good place to stop.**

* * *

Sam reluctantly took the silver flask out of Ruby's hand. He took off the lid and held it up to his nose; it smelled really good.

Sam eyed Ruby suspiciously. "I thought you said right after I drank this I would start my training. Shouldn't we get there before I down this?"

"Just drink the drink." Ruby rolled her eyes. "Look, you will be trying your first exorcism here. Azazel wants to see how far you've progressed. The volunteer will be here any moment, so unless you want a crowd watching you, I'd hurry up."

Fuck it. Sam lifted the flask and downed the liquid. The delicious, throat quenching liquid.

Sam looked over at Ruby, eyebrows raised. "That stuff is amazing. What is... agh!"

Sam closed his eyes, holding his head, as a surge of power courses through his veins. Vaguely, Sam registered Azazel calling the 'volunteer' in. As he became more accustomed to the constant buzz, the young Winchester lowered his hand and opened his eyes. Disappointment shone on Azazel's face.

"That's an unfortunate side effect." Azazel locked eyes with Ruby. "I thought you said he was strong enough."

Ignoring her 'superior,' Ruby nodded at Sam. "Go ahead Sam. Just focus the new energy you feel running through you on pushing Randy over there out of his meatsuit." She motioned at the demon standing to his right.

As Sam turned to face the demon, it sneered. "You don't have what it takes to exorcise me, Winchester. Might as well give up now and save yourself the embarrass-"

Randy's words were cut off as Sam raised his hand and focused on the demonic energies inside the meatsuit. Black smoke slowly floated out of Randy's mouth and into the floor as he fell to his knees, hands clawing vainly at his throat.

The last of the smoke dissipated into the floor and Sam lowered his hand. Sadly, the buzz also wore off. Sam had no time to miss it as Ruby hugged him.

"That was great, Sam!" Sam stared down at the blonde-haired demon before hugging back. "Before you know it, you'll actually be able to rip the demon out without killing the person!"

Save the person? Oh, right. Sam had killed to poor meatsuit, er, _person_ , Randy was occupying. Why didn't he feel bad about the guy's death? Does wondering why he doesn't care count as caring?

Sam was pulled out of his thoughts as Ruby pulled away. She looked so smug as she turned to face Azazel. "So, what did ya think? Is Sam's training paying off?"

Azazel plastered on a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "I'm so proud of you, Sam. You always were a quick one."

Sam. Azazel called him Sam. As much as he appreciated not being called 'Sammy' by a demon anymore, it unsettled Sam that Azazel suddenly stopped using his nickname, especially after overhearing his conversation with Ruby about him getting too strong too fast.

"C'mon Sam, let's go. We have more training to do." Ruby grabbed Sam's arm and teleported them back into his room. "Sam!"

Sam snapped out of his thoughts, surprised to see the familiar walls of his room. "Huh? What are we doing in my room?"

Ruby sighed, rolling her eyes. "Snap out of la-la land. I brought us here because you were staring at Azazel like he was hiding something. Get a better poker face."

Sam sat down on the chair by his desk, slumped down. "That obvious, huh?"

Ruby sat on the edge of Sam's bed. "Not to everyone. Don't worry; I was watching you to make sure there were no unwelcome side effects. Only side effect I saw was a lack of a poker face and spacing out. Did I miss anything?"

Smiling sheepishly, Sam replied, "Sorry about that. It's just-" What was he thinking? He shouldn't tell the demon he's suspicious of her boss!

"Sam?" Ruby leaned forward, seemingly concerned.

Sam rubbed a hand over his face. Today was as good a day to die as any. "It's just that Azazel didn't seem too happy with my progress. I think he wanted me to fail, wanted me to be weaker."

Ruby sat up, looking way too happy. "Good, stay wary of Azazel. Don't trust him." She leaned closer again, her eyes lighting up. "How do you feel about him?"

"Are you asking me if I want to become his best friend or if I want to kill him?"

Ruby's smile grew. "I'm a demon; use that big brain of yours." She patted Sam's knee and stood up. "We'll chat later. Right now, you've got a call to take."

Ruby disappeared right as Sam's phone started to ring. "Hello? Yes, this is Edgar Casey. Yeah, sorry about my other phone, it, uh, was dropped in a toilet." Sam listened to the other guy in the phone, pulling out a pen and paper from his desk. "Thanks. Listen, could you, uh, give me the address to the storage locker? I don't have my address book with me and I want to come right away. Thanks, I'll be over as soon as I can."

* * *

 **I'm so bad; I still haven't told you what's in the flask. Don't worry, you'll find out when Sam does. *evil laughter***


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: Supernatural is not mine. I'm only borrowing for your enjoyment.**

 **This was one of my favorite episodes to watch. I hope y'all enjoy this twisted take of it!**

* * *

As Sam rode the elevator down, he thought back to the phone call from earlier. Someone had broken into his dad's old storage locker. Since when did the old man have a storage locker, and what things were hidden inside?

Sam exited the elevator and walked over to the rusted door. He used the key on the new lock the storage place had put on the door, glad that after his dad died Sam had set up his dad's voicemail telling people to call his phone instead. The door creaked loudly as he pulled it open.

Taking out his flashlight, Sam looked around the room. A devil's trap was just inside the doorway, bloody footprints leading into the storage locker. Crouching down, Sam saw the tripwire the people (there were too many footprints to be just one person) had set off. Stepping over the wire, he followed the line to a shotgun hidden in a skull. The idiots had gotten themselves shot, or at least one of them had.

Laughing silently to himself, Sam walked deeper into the storage locker. His dear old dad was giving people hell even in the afterlife.

Filing cabinets and shelves were everywhere, filled to the brim with random junk, nothing seeming too supernatural besides the devil's trap. In his peripherals, Sam saw something reflective. Turning, he saw his old soccer trophy.

"My division championships soccer trophy?" Sam mumbled to himself. "I can't believe he kept this."

Putting the small trophy back, Sam walked farther into the locker. A metal door blocked his path. The chain keeping it locked was broken; Sam opened the door with caution.

"Holy crap." The wall on Sam's left had all sorts of weapons: guns, knives, landmines, grenades. None of the weapons had been tampered with. The guys who broke in knew what they were after. Looking to his right, Sam saw small boxes with a special white paint on them. He immediately recognized the symbols; they were used in binding magic. Sam was looking at curse boxes. If someone got a hold of one of those...

"Damn!" The middle shelf had a hole the size of one of the small boxes. The dust was everywhere but the hole, blood droplets mixed with the dust. The people who broke in had taken a curse box. Sam had to hunt down the bastards before they had a chance to open it.

Flipping open his phone, Sam called the storage locker company. "I'm going to need to see the security cameras."

* * *

Sam drove up to the apartment complex, stopping next to a beige piece of crap. Leaning out the window, he reads the license plate. "Connecticut, last three digits 880. This is it."

"Shoulda blacked out their plates before they parked in front of the security cameras." Ruby smirked. "Amateurs."

Sam parked the car in front of the building. Judging by how sloppy these guys are, it should be a piece of cake taking them out.

Walking to the front desk, Sam smiled at the woman behind the counter, using what Dean called his 'puppy dog eyes.' "Hi, um, sorry to bother you, but I was supposed to meet a couple of my friends here, and they forgot to tell me their room number. Would you mind helping me out?"

"Do you know the name they registered under?"

"It would be either Grossman or Wayne."

The woman typed on her computer. "They're in room 403." She leaned on the table, her arms pushing her breasts up. "Anything else I could help you with?"

Sam smiled awkwardly, thankful when Ruby pulled at his arm. "C'mon, let's go!"

"Thanks for your help." Sam called over his shoulder to the annoyed woman.

Ruby opened the door to the stairwell. "So, Prince Charming, you gonna tap that when we're done here?"

Sam's face flushed red. "What? No, that's more of my brother's thing..." His voice trailed off. Sam still felt bad for betraying his brother, but it was his own good. Right?

Ruby pushed open the door and led the way to room 403. "Your turn."

Sam picked the lock quickly and crept inside, gun at the ready. He could hear voices coming from the living room.

"This thing really works. Ya know what I'm saying? Ha! I'll tell you one thing, there's no way in hell we are handing it over to that stuck up bitch. Not after all we've been through."

Sam nodded at Ruby, who had her gun drawn.

A voice said, "Let's get outta here; let's go have some fun."

Sam and Ruby both jumped around the corner, Sam yelling, "Freeze! Don't move!"

Two guys stood up, shocked looks on their faces. "What is this?!"

"We said don't move!" Ruby growled, pointing her gun at the man who spoke. "Give us the box. You weren't stupid enough to open it, were you?"

Sam groaned. "Ruby, they opened it."

Ruby pushed the guy, Wayne, into the wall, gun at his throat. "You opened it?! What was inside it? Where is it?"

Wayne's gaze looked towards the coffee table with a rabbit's foot, some playing cards, and a bottle of whiskey on it.

Ruby looked at Sam. "We came here for part of a dead animal?"

Wayne used the distraction to break free, knocking Ruby's gun to the ground. The bullet ricocheted off the heater and hit the gun out of Sam's hand.

Sam looked at his gun, which now lay on the floor. The other man, Grossman, from the gun to Sam. Both men lunged for the weapon. Grossman pushed Sam, who then fell into Ruby. She crashed into the coffee table, sending the rabbit's foot flying through the air.

"Sorry." Sam smiled sheepishly at the glaring demon. Grossman side-tackled Sam while Wayne picked up Sam's gun, swinging it around and hitting Ruby in the face. She stepped back, holding her nose.

"Damn!"

Grossman started to choke Sam, pushing his hands down as hard as he could. Struggling to breathe, Sam reached out for anything that he could use to hit Grossman with. His fingers wrapped around something fuzzy. Not thinking straight, Sam struck out with the fuzzy object. Surprisingly, Grossman let go, falling back. Sam brought his feet in and kicked the stunned man, sending him flying across the room.

"Ruby!" Sam called. "Are you okay?"

Sam stood up, only to stare down the barrel of his own gun. "She may be, but you're not." Wayne snarled. Thinking fast, Ruby kicked out and tripped Wayne. He fell backwards over the couch, effectively knocking himself out.

"Thanks." Sam reached down and helped Ruby get to her feet. A loud crashing sound brought their attention to the corner, where Grossman had tried to stand up and ended up knocking himself out with a shelf.

"What are you holding?" Ruby was looking at Sam's left hand.

Sam raised the object he had used to punch Grossman earlier. "It's a, uh, rabbit's foot."


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural, though it would be awesome if I did!**

 **Big thanks to Bella4evr3 for your reviews! They keep me going.**

* * *

"Sam, just because those guys were handing you your ass on a platter doesn't mean that stupid little rabbit's foot is the real deal."

Sam sighed. For the past fifteen minutes Sam and Ruby had been arguing over whether or not the rabbit's foot was real. Ruby was chalking it up to a normal day on the job, but Sam knew Winchester luck, and that lucky break at the apartment was more than just a casual day on the job.

"Ruby, just drop it. I'm going to pick up some food and we can talk about it later, okay?"

Sam could almost _hear_ Ruby roll her eyes this time as she leaned forward and turned the music up. "Fine."

Sam pulled up into the first restaurant he could find and parked. The sign out front read 'BIGGERSON'S.'

Ruby snorted. "Fancy."

"Just get out of the car." As they walked through the front doors, Sam added, "And stay low. We don't need any unwanted attention."

Sam smiled at the bubbly man in the red vest in front of him. "Hey, table for two please."

The bubbly man jumped up and down. "Congratulations!" A loud bell sounded throughout the entire restaurant. "You are the one millionth guest of the Biggerson's family!" He passed Sam and Ruby a giant check. A waitress took their picture while streamers and balloons fell from the ceiling.

Ruby laughed. "So much for staying low, huh dork."

"Shut up, jerk."

* * *

"I'm tired of your shit Gordon. Tell me where my brother is!" Dean was pissed. First he broke Gordon out of prison, no easy feat, then, instead of telling Dean where his brother was, Gordon said he needed new clothes; something about not wanting to look like an escaped convict.

So here they were, civilian clothes on, sitting in baby, and Gordon had the gall to tell Dean to go get something to eat. Dean was tightly wound up, ready to explode, and Gordon was more relaxed than ever.

"Dean, do you want to know where your brother is?" Gordon was reclining in his seat, eyes closed. Dean wanted to strangle him right then and there.

Instead, Dean squared his shoulders and grit out, "Yes."

Gordon sat up and looked at the oldest Winchester. "Then let's go get some food. I know a quaint little restaurant. It's not too far from here."

* * *

Sam watched as Ruby scarfed down her ice cream. If she kept shoveling it in that fast, demon or not, she'd be sure to get a...

"Ugh!" Ruby grabbed her head, the inevitable brain freeze attacking her.

Sam laughed. "Brain freeze?"

Ruby glared at him, but it didn't hold. Soon, she too was laughing. "Yeah. I didn't realize I could still get those. Hey, next time we need food, we are totally going to another Biggerson's. Free food for a year means we don't need to go out scrounging for money."

At that moment, a waitress walked up to their table with a coffee pot in hand. "Can I freshen you up?"

Sam looked from the waitress to the coffee pot. "Uh, yeah, sure."

As the waitress pours Sam his coffee, some of it spills onto the table. "Oh, I'm so sorry."

"That's okay, I got." The waitress continues to clean up the mess, ignoring Sam's protests.

She smiles coyly at him. "It's no trouble, really."

Sam smiles down at the table. "K."

"Sorry about that." The waitress takes the now damp rag and saunters off, occasionally glancing back at the two at the table.

"Ow!" Sam rubs the back of his head where Ruby smacked him. "What the hell was that for?"

Ruby glared at him. "I know you think you have this lucky little rabbit's foot, but even with _that_ luck, you have no chance hitting _anything_ , so get your head out of the gutter! Listen, in order to have a legitimate rabbit's foot, it can't come off any rabbit. It has to be in a cemetery, under a full moon, on Friday the thirteenth."

Sam raised his hands up in defeat. "Okay, okay, I get it. Incredibly hard to come by. My only thing is it came from my dad's storage unit, and he isn't one to keep fake things locked up so tight."

Sam tried to pick up his coffee, only to spill it on himself. "Oh! Oh geez!" Sam jumped up as coffee spilled on his pants. He turned and ran into a waiter, food flying everywhere. "Uh, ah, s-sorry."

Sam turned to look at Ruby, confused. Realization dawned on her features. "Sam, where's the rabbit's foot?!"

Sam checked his pockets only to discover the rabbit's foot was gone. "It's gone!"

Ruby jumped up from the table. "Follow that bitch!"

They ran outside, looking left and right for the 'waitress.' Seeing red off to her right, Ruby said, "C'mon." They hadn't gone three feet when Sam tripped over the curb and fell. "We don't have time for this Sam! If we don't get that rabbit's foot back, your luck will only get worse and worse until you die. Get up so we can catch that bitch and I don't get reamed for letting you get killed."

Sam stood up, knees bloody. He looked around the parking lot. "I'm sorry Ruby, but she's gone."

Ruby swung around, eyes scouring the parking lot. "Damn!" She turned back to Sam, sighing. "Let's find a motel room to camp out in. The less you do the less likely you are to die sooner rather than later."

* * *

Dean pulled up into the Biggerson's parking lot. He turned to face Gordon. "This place? Really?"

Gordon patted Dean on the shoulder. "Don't worry, we'll be quick." He walked inside. "We'd like to order our food to go."

Gordon ordered his food and sat down to wait. Dean was furious beside him. "We came to a fucking restaurant because you 'can't remember on an empty stomach,' and you get the food to go? Why didn't I stop by a fast food joint instead?"

Gordon smiled. "Go look at the pictures while we wait."

Dean huffed, done with Gordon's bullshit. He scanned the pictures on the wall, only half looking. As Gordon picked up his food, he walked over to Dean. "Oh, look. These people got free food for a year, isn't that nice?"

Dean looked at Gordon. "Isn't that nice? Gordon my brother is-"

"Right here." Gordon forced Dean to look at the picture he pointed out moments ago. Dean's heart skipped a beat. His little brother was standing with some blonde chick, face scrunched up from the flash. His Sammy had been in this exact restaurant.

Dean turned to Gordon. "You knew he was here, didn't you?"

Gordon flashed his pearly whites. "What can I say? I keep tabs on people who might try to kill me one day. What do ya say we see if we can catch up to that brother of yours?"


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural.**

 **Thanks for keeping with me; I know this fic is getting to be long. I hope y'all have as much fun reading this as I did writing it!**

* * *

Sam slumped in his chair, none too happy with getting benched. "What am I supposed to do, Ruby?"

"Nothing. I don't want you to do anything. Just sit there and exist. Do anything more than that and you'll be dead. Don't mess with the lights; you'll get electrocuted. Don't touch the thermostat or that will break. Hell, don't even scratch your freaking nose, who knows what could happen then." Ruby turned, walking towards the door. "I'm going to find this chick and bring her back here. I know the spell that will destroy the foot once and for all, so, uh, survive until then, okay?" Ruby shut the door, sealing Sam in the motel room.

Hearing the door lock, Sam looked around the room. Who knew how long it would take for Ruby to get back? Sam's nose twitched. Crap, Ruby talking about scratching his nose made his nose itch! Scratching his nose wouldn't kill him, would it? Sam rebelliously scratched his nose, pleasantly surprised when nothing happened.

* * *

Dean looked up at the apartment building in front of him. "You sure this is the place?"

Gordon sighed. "Yeah, this is where we'll find out more about your missing brother."

They got out of the Impala and walked inside, heading towards the stairs. Dean let Gordon go first, unsure whether or not to turn his back on him. He still felt bad about breaking Gordon, the man who tried to kill his little brother, multiple times, out of jail, even if it was for a good cause. What would Sam say? Would he even want to talk to him anymore?

Dean was pulled out of his thoughts when Gordon stopped in front of a door. "We're here."

Dean slowly opened the door to see a balding man drinking whiskey and looking at a picture.

Grossman lowered the picture and stared at the two men in front of him. "Aw, man. What do you want? I've had enough shit for today."

Dean walked in slowly, Gordon right behind him. "Heard about your friend. Sorry. Did his death have anything to do with a tall brunette man and a blonde bitch?"

Grossman rolled his eyes. "You're working with them? Piss off."

Dean narrowed his eyes at the drunken man before him. "I'm trying to be nice, but you're testing the small patience I have. The man who was here earlier is my brother; I'm just trying to find him. Where did he go?"

Grossman leaned forward. "Screw. You."

Dean walked up to the drunk and socked him across the jaw. "Where's my brother you son of a bitch?!"

Rubbing his jaw, Grossman glared at Dean. "I don't know, okay? He left with the damn rabbit's foot, and now Wayne is dead and I'm sure she's going to kill me but whatever."

Gordon got in Grossman's face. "Who's going to kill you?"

Grossman, still rubbing his jaw, smirked. "I bet you'd like to know."

Gordon didn't bat an eye. "Yeah, and if you don't tell me, I'm going torture your sorry ass until you do. Who's going to kill you?"

Grossman was quiet for a few minutes, whether he was thinking about it or trying to remember her name, Dean couldn't tell. "Lugosi. Now get the fuck out."

Gordon grabbed Dean's shoulder, pulling him back into the hallway. "I recognize the name Lugosi; it's an alias used by Bela Talbot. She sells things with supernatural qualities to the highest bidder, and I'd bet either the rabbit's foot the drunk is blabbering about is actually lucky or she's planning on selling your monster of a brother." Dean bristled. "Either way, I'll bet that your brother is with her. Let's go find Ms. Talbot."

* * *

"Maybe I should take it somewhere else?" Bela Talbot was annoyed at the man on the phone. They shook on 1.5 million U.S. dollars for the rabbit's foot, but now he wanted to pay her less! "Don't threaten me, Luke!" Bela growled. "Despite your reputation, you don't scare me." Bela smirked as Luke tried to make amends, sipping her coffee. "Well, I'm glad you see it that way. I'll see you at the airstrip in an hour."

"You won't be able to make your date. Might as well cancel." Bela turned, gun at the ready. The blonde in front of her was relaxed, not at all unnerved by the gun aimed at her head. "You might not be scared of Luke, but you damn well better be terrified of me."

Bela stared down the blonde. "How did you get in here? I have security cameras at every entrance, and an alarm system that could stop the FBI."

Ruby laughed and threw her head back. When she looked back at Bela, her eyes were black. "You couldn't stop me if you tried. Now, you stole something from my partner, and I _will_ get it back."

Bela cocked her gun. "Are you telling me I outsmarted a demon earlier? I'll put that on my resume." She smirked "Is your little boy-toy dead yet?"

Ruby glared at Bela and threw her against the wall, gun sliding across the room. "You are in no position to speak like that. Am I clear?" Bela clawed at her throat, vainly trying to stop an invisible force from choking her. "Yes? Good. Where is the rabbit's foot?"

Ruby dropped Bela, the latter gasping in air. Quickly recovering, Bela stood up and squared her shoulders. "What do you care if your pet human dies? Just get another."

Ruby narrowed her eyes. "Watch your tone. Give me the damn foot and you might survive this."

Bela laughed. "You think I'm scared of you? I procure unique items for a select clientele. You aren't the worst I've dealt with."

Ruby raised an eyebrow. "No? You might have to rethink that." Bela's eyes slid closed and she slid down the wall to the ground, out cold. "I'm not only a demon; I'm a witch. And _this_ witch slipped a sleeping spell into your coffee." Ruby spotted the foot on the counter and picked it up in a rag. Looking at the unconscious form on the floor, Ruby asked, "Let's go on a little road trip, shall we?"

* * *

Sam sat sullenly in the chair, twiddling his thumbs. Bored couldn't even _begin_ to describe his mood. Sam rocked back and forth in his chair, listening to the hum of the air conditioning.

A loud squeak emitted from the air conditioner, causing Sam to stop rocking as he peered at the offending machine. Smoke floated out of the air conditioner.

"Aw, c'mon, I-I didn't..." Sam slowly stood up, trying his best not to break anything. He approaches the air conditioner with trepidation. A flash of orange and suddenly the air conditioner caught fire. Grimacing, Sam ripped off the comforter and beat the flames.

"Really, Sam? What did I say about leaving the chair?" Sam jumped and fell backwards, landing not so gracefully on his ass.

"Ruby! I... The air conditioner..." Sam looked at the air conditioner, which was no longer on fire, and back and Ruby. "Sorry."

Ruby rolled her eyes. "I've got the foot and the supplies we'll need to destroy it once and for all. Oh! And I brought you a little present." Ruby helped Sam up and motioned towards the other bed where a brunette woman was tied up, unconscious. "This is Bela Talbot, our thief."

Sam raised his eyebrows, surprised. "Ruby, you can't just kidnap someone! There are rules and etiquette-"

"And stealing a mystical object voids her of any protection. ESPECIALLY since it put your life in danger." Ruby interrupted. She held up the rabbit's foot. "C'mon. We have a rabbit's foot to burn."


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: As shocking as it is, I don't own Supernatural.**

 **I'm super sorry I haven't updated lately. Since school started, I won't be able to update as frequently. I'll do my best to update quickly!**

* * *

Dean's heart was racing. Bela Talbot wasn't at her place, and there was sulfur on the counter top. A demon had been there, and where there were demons, there was Sam. Pushing his foot harder on the gas, Dean kicked himself for not being faster.

 _Dean slowly opened the door and disarmed the security alarm. Motioning to Gordon, the two of them crept slowly through the house, checking rooms for Bela Talbot. Finding no sign of the thief, they regrouped in the kitchen._

" _What are we going to do? Bela's not here." Dean hit his hand on the countertop, confused when a cloud of dust floated into the air. Confusion quickly turned to horror as he realized what was on the countertop: sulfur._

 _As Dean got agitated and paced restlessly around the room, Gordon annoyingly kept his cool. "Dean." Dean stopped and spun around to face Gordon. "Look." Gordon pointed to the security camera hidden in the corner of the room._

 _After searching through the footage, the two men found what they were looking for. Bela had her gun aimed at a girl and they talked. Dean wished that the security footage came with sound; what if they were talking about his little brother?_

 _Bela pissed the girl off and was thrown against the wall. "The girl is a demon." Dean mused._

" _Explains the sulfur." Gordon added, eyes locked on the footage._

 _Bela talked to the demon, confident. Both men were shocked when she fell to the floor for seemingly no reason. "What the hell?" Gordon whispered. He turned off the security footage. "I don't know how she got the drop on Bela like that, but I do know one thing: we need to be careful when confronting her." For the first time since Dean broke him out of prison, Gordon looked worried._

" _Maybe... maybe we could track her phone. I didn't see the demon take it off of her." Dean suggested._

Now Dean was racing against the clock, desperately trying to get to his brother before the demon bitch did something horrible to him.

* * *

Sam cringed. Please no, _please_ don't let it be...

Gum. Sam had stepped in gum. That was just _great_. Not even two feet from the entrance to the cemetery and Sam had gum stuck to his foot. It could be worse, Sam mused. Seeing a sewage drain, Sam tried to scrape the gum off. Of course, Sam's shoe falls into the sewer. Awesome.

"C'mon Sam! We have to do this tonight!" Ruby called. "What's wrong?"

Sam sadly looked at Ruby. "I lost my shoe." He grumbled.

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Let's go, Cinderella."

They entered the graveyard. Finding an area away from the main road, Ruby tied Bela to a tree. "Sam, you watch Bela while I get the spell going. I'm using flames, so stay over here. Can you manage that?"

Sam huffed, tired of being sidelined. Of course, he knew that standing close to burning embers was only going to end poorly, but did Ruby really have to put him on babysitting duty? As Ruby sauntered away Sam looked over at the pissed off thief tied to the tree next to him. She glared back at him.

"What is the purpose of this? Either you kill me or set me free, and, judging by the company you have," she nodded at Ruby, "I don't think I'll be leaving this cemetery tonight."

Before Sam could offer a reply, Ruby walked over. "I just finished adding the bone ash and cayenne pepper. We're all set to destroy the foot. Are you ready to do this?"

Sam nodded. "Let's do this."

* * *

Ruby held the tongs out over the fire. "Time to say goodbye to your favorite dismembered limb. Any last words?"

Even in the dark Bela could see Sam turn red. "Just drop it in already." Sam mumbled.

It was sickening watching the two of them flirt. Ugh, Bela felt like puking. Seeing her 1.5 million US dollar prize being held above burning embers, Bela knew she had to act fast. While talking to Sam she had pulled her 'lipstick' out of her back pocket and opened the lid, revealing a small knife, and began sawing at the ropes binding her hands behind her back. Bela's efforts were increased tenfold as the rabbit's foot was dropped into the embers, catching on fire. She held back a victory yell as the ropes fell to the ground behind her.

Bela snuck behind the tree, eyes glued to Ruby and Sam. Confident that they hadn't seen her yet, Bela took off towards the cemetery gates.

* * *

Dean threw the car into park and looked around. Of course Bela was taken to a cemetery. Of course his little brother was in a creepy old cemetery. Of course the demon bitch would've taken them to some creepy ass place where the lighting was shit and the chances of finding them was-

Gordon put his hand on Dean's shoulder, effectively stopping his train of thought. "Are you prepared for what you might see tonight? Your brother isn't who you thought he was."

Dean shook off Gordon's hand. "Sam is still Sam. Are _you_ ready to face the reality that you're wrong?"

Gordon gave a sad smile, the kind of smile you give to a small child when they insist that Santa is real after you've told them the truth. Without another word, the hunter got out of the Impala and walked around to the trunk.

Dean followed, picking up his favorite sawed-off shotgun and a flask of holy water. Slamming the trunk closed, he turned and headed towards the cemetery gates. "Let's go. We're wasting time."

Gordon fell in step next to Dean. "Remember, this isn't just about your brother. Bela's life is on the line. We need to be smart and observe what's happening before we rush headfirst into anything."

Dean nodded, but he knew if his Sammy was in trouble there was nothing that could stop him.

Dean stopped when he made out two figures in the moonlight. Crouching behind a gravestone, he struggled to hear what was being said. Gordon crouched down and nodded at the blonde.

"She's the demon who kidnapped Bela earlier." He frowned. "I don't see Bela. The demon shouldn't have killed her; at least, not unless she got the information she needed. If she's still alive we need to find her."

Dean looked at his brother and squared his shoulders. "Sam wouldn't have let Bela die. He would've saved her. Bela's alive."

The two men fell silent as an object was dropped into a pile of burning embers. Catching a small movement to the side, Dean looked to his right to see a woman sprinting towards them. It was Bela!

Suddenly, Bela was yanked by an invisible force. She sailed through the air and landed hard against a tree. Dean tensed, ready to get up and fight, but Gordon placed a restraining hand on his shoulder.

"You won't be of much help if you run out there now. They will see you!" Gordon hissed.

Dean sat down fuming silently. From his vantage point behind the gravestone, Dean could only see Bela's face, screwed up in pain. He concentrated on the voices, ready to pounce when needed.

"Ruby!" Sam's voice. "What the hell..." His voice trailed off.

"I saw her make a break for it. I couldn't let that happen." A female voice: the demon.

Sam sighed. "I know." Dean's face went blank. Sam just agreed with a demon. _Sam_ just agreed with a _demon_. What?!

"Your call, Sam. What do we do with her?"

Dean relaxed, if only slightly. Sam would say let her go, or at least tell this Ruby chick to stop torturing Bela. Her face was still screwed tight with pain. C'mon Sam, tell her to let Bela go and we can go home.

"I-" A pause. A deep breath. "You need to kill her."

Dean's heart stopped. What? That couldn't have been Sam saying that, could it?

"Sam, I can't. She has a contract with another demon. I can't kill her before her contract is up."

Dean had to hold back his scoff. If she thought for one second Sam would-

Bela's eyes went wide, and, for a split second, her entire body went rigid. As she fell back against the tree, limp, the sound of a knife being removed could be heard.

Sam's voice was emotionless. "Get her out of here. I'll meet you back at the main hall."

Seeing Bela disappear, Dean jumped out from behind the gravestone and ran up to the tree. The only clue that someone was here a few seconds ago was a bloody tree limb that probably had blood flow onto it from the mortal wound Sam inflicted on Bela. Sam, his little brother, the compassionate one, the caring and sharing sappy brother, killed Bela. It couldn't have been Sam. It wasn't Sam.

So immersed in his inner struggle, Dean didn't hear Gordon walk up. "Do you believe me now?"

Dean jumps. Glaring at Gordon, he replied, "That wasn't Sam. He must've been possessed. Or that was a shifter. Sam's no killer."

Or is he?

* * *

 **My Beta Alytiger almost ripped my head off when she read the ending; I hope you like it too! *thumbs up***


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural.**

 **Hopefully you haven't given up on me yet! School is delaying my progress, but I'm doing my best to get more chapters written.**

* * *

Sam smiled, thankful the rabbit's foot was finally destroyed. His bad luck was finally over. Something moved in his peripheral. Sam looked over his shoulder, tense. Bela was making a run for it!

Ruby saw Sam's head pop up and turned, throwing her hand out. Bela flew backwards through the air and landed hard into a tree.

"Ruby!" Sam ran over to Bela. "What the hell..." His voice trailed off as he took in the horror before him. Bela's face was screwed up in pain, her breathing labored. The jagged end of a tree limb protruded from her stomach; Sam knew the wound was fatal.

Ruby walked up to Sam, her eyes on Bela. "I saw her make a break for it. I couldn't let that happen." Softer, she added, "I'm sorry."

Sam sighed. "I know." Sam knew Ruby was sorry. She was only trying to stop Bela from getting free and sending hell on earth their way.

"Your call, Sam. What do we do with her?" Ruby gazed at Sam with knowing eyes. Bela Talbot was a dead woman. Ruby knew Sam hated killing people, but she also knew he wouldn't let Bela suffer.

"I-" Sam gave a deep breath. What he was going to say wasn't easy, no matter the circumstances. "You need to kill her."

"Sam, I can't. She has a contract with another demon." Sam inwardly groaned. He had been hanging around demons enough to know what that meant. "I can't kill her before her contract is up."

Sam had no choice. They had talked long enough; Bela had _suffered_ long enough. Pulling his knife out of his boot, Sam walked up to Bela and stabbed her in the heart. For a split second, her entire body went rigid, and then she relaxed into a never ending slumber.

Sam pulled the knife out of Bela, hardening his features. Turning to Ruby, he ordered, "Get her out of here. I'll meet you back at the main hall."

Sam teleported back into his room, flopping onto his bed. Bella was dead, and it was all his fault. Why couldn't he have watched over her and let Ruby burn the damned rabbit's foot? Another minute wouldn't have killed him. Why couldn't he have kept watching her so she wouldn't have had a chance to escape? What if he had taken her to a hospital instead of killing her?

Sam's head was full of countless 'whys' and 'what ifs' that only made him feel more terrible by the second. _Damn it, Sam!_ He heard his father's voice yell. _Man up! You can't save everyone, so stop moping and get your ass in gear_.

Sam fought to keep his emotions in check. As much as he disagreed with his father, Sam had to admit that staring at the ceiling wasn't going to fix anything. Sitting up, Sam squared his shoulders. Bela died because he wasn't strong enough, because his powers weren't strong enough.

Mind made, Sam swiftly made his way to the main hall. He needed to talk to Ruby. They had some training to do.

* * *

Sam paced the main hall anxiously. What was taking Ruby so long? Dispose of the body, meet back at the main hall. It was simple. So why was she not back yet?!

Sam took a deep breathe. Getting riled up wouldn't help anything. Composed, Sam sat down in his chair and ran through the conversation he'd have with Ruby soon.

"Miss me?" Ruby was sitting cross-legged in her chair, facing Sam. It was no longer Azazel's chair; he hardly ever sat in it.

Sam wasn't in the mood to put up with Ruby's antics. "I want to get stronger."

Ruby twirled a blonde lock around her finger. "Okay. We can train more hours if you want."

"Don't mess around Ruby. You know what I want."

Ruby looked up at Sam, eyes wide, feigning shock. "Me? You know I can't read minds. Maybe with some training we could see if you could, though..." Her eyes glinted mischievously.

Sam glared at the blonde in front of him. "Ruby, I want to drink from the flask."

Ruby swung her legs down from the chair and stood up. "You don't even know what it is, Sam. Are you sure you want to do this?"

Standing up, Sam looked Ruby dead in the eyes. "I want to do this. I don't care what it is; all I care about is becoming stronger."

Ruby smiled, an evil glint in her eye. "I'll go get it, then. Meet me at the training field so we can start right away."

* * *

Ruby was ecstatic. Sam asked her, of his own accord, to get the flask. Her plan was falling together perfectly. Soon, even Azazel wouldn't be able to stop her.

She popped in front of his hotel room and did the special knock. The door opened and Ruby all but flew in. "Azazel, you'll never guess what happened!"

Azazel looked up at Ruby from the lone table in the hotel, Dante by his side. "Don't act like such a child. It's unbecoming. Now, I am very busy so this better be important." Azazel threatened.

Ruby frowned. "I get you and Dante are plotting at the moment, but if you don't want to hear about your little boy king that's fine by me." She turned on her heel.

"Wait! What about Sam?"

Ruby smirked. That's what she thought. Turning back around, she leaned against the wall. "If you _must_ know, Sam has decided to take our little energy boost. He even _asked_ for it."

Dante's mouth dropped. "Sam actually agreed to drink demon's blood?"

Ruby nodded. "Well, technically he doesn't know what it is, but he said he doesn't care as long as he gets stronger." Turning to Azazel, she adds, "He's becoming the warrior you want him to be. He even killed a human today."

Azazel's smile didn't quite reach his yellow eyes. "That's great. You're doing a great job, Ruby. Keep me posted."

"Of course." Ruby left, popping into Hell's kitchen and grabbing a gallon of demon's blood. She headed to the training field, only stopping once to grab a couple demons off their racks for 'target practice' for Sam. Today was going to be fun.

* * *

 **Ta-da! Now y'all know what was in the flask! Will Sam find out? If he does, will he care? And, more importantly, will Dean find out? Eek! I'm super excited for the next chapter, I'll post as soon as I can!  
**


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural.**

 **I know it's been a while, but hopefully this chapter can tide you over until the next one!**

* * *

The motel room Dean and Gordon were staying at was quiet. The only sound in the room was the ticking of the old clock on the wall. _Tick. Tick. Tick._

Dean stared sullenly at the burger in front of him. Gordon had left half an hour ago to meet with one of his contacts to find out where Sam was while Dean sat in the motel doing nothing. The thing about doing nothing was it left Dean's brain full of space. Space that was quickly filled with the events of last night. Bela Talbot flying through the air. Bela's face screwed tight in pain as the blonde demon - Dean heard Sam call her Ruby – tortured her. The sound of a knife being removed from Bela's body. Sam's emotionless voice as he orders Ruby to dispose of the evidence.

Dean replayed the events over and over in his head, trying to discern why Sam would be so callous. Was Sam possessed by a demon? No, after Meg possessed Sam they took the anti-possession amulets Bobby gave them and got the design tattooed onto their chests. Was Bela a demon? No, Ruby said she had made a deal with a demon, so Bela was definitely human. Was it a shifter?

Dean sat up in his chair. A shapeshifter got the drop on Sam and was working with the demons! It was the only logical explanation Dean could come up with, and it seemed like a damned good explanation, too. At least shifters kept the person they were taking the form of alive so they could access their memories. Dean's blood ran cold. What if the shifter decided it didn't need to access Sam's memories? Dean shook his head, dispelling that thought. He didn't have time for doubts; he needed to find Sam before the shifter tired of his little brother's form.

As Dean walked outside and rummaged through Baby's trunk for all things silver, a tiny voice in the back of his head said, "Shifters can't throw demons against walls or exorcise them, so how do you explain how 'Sam' did that?" Dean paused, wracking his brain for some sort of explanation. Obviously, Sam was still Sam at that point, taking down powerful demons like the kick ass hunter he was, and after the confrontation with the Seven Deadly Sins the shifter got the drop on him. A hunt could make anyone tired, right?

"Dean, what are you doing?" Dean whipped his head around, hand going to his hip, only to relax upon seeing Gordon.

"Hey Gordon. When did you get back?"

Gordon cocked an eyebrow. "Just now. What are you doing out here? Did you get information on the monster's whereabouts?"

Dean held back the urge to strangle Gordon right then and there. "No, I didn't find out where SAM was; that was your job." Dean shut the trunk. "But I do know why Sam had been working with the demons."

Gordon was obviously skeptical. "Okaaayy. Why has Sam been working with demons?"

"That wasn't Sam." Gordon broke out into a full on smile. "It was a shifter." Gordon's face fell. Dean continued, "The last time I saw my brother, we were, uh, attacked by the Seven Deadly Sins. I think when Sam and I got separated, a shifter took him and is now working with the demons in his form."

Dean couldn't read Gordon; his face was blank. When he spoke, his voice was emotionless, flat. "When I was eighteen years old, my sister was kidnapped by vampires." He held up his hand, silencing Dean. "Let me finish. They took her from me, and I was livid. I picked up the hunting life, training for the day I could finally destroy the son of a bitch who stole her from me. I found the vampire. My sister was still with it, only something was different."

Dean had heard this all before. "She was a vampire and you killed her. I've heard the sob story before. Get to the point."

Gordon stared at Dean, face unmoving. "Patience, Winchester. I'm almost done." Dean rolled his eyes. He really didn't need story time; he needed to find Sam and kill off the shifter. "My sister was already dead." Dean looked back at Gordon, confused. "You see, Dean, my sister died the night the vampire took her. Once she became a vampire, she was no longer my sister; she was a monster. Sam, he's a monster. You can't keep coming up with excuses for his behavior. Sam had been working with the demons since before the Seven Deadly Sins were taken care of. He's not being held hostage by a shifter. Dean, your brother is a monster. I killed my monster; will you kill yours?"

With that, Gordon turned and walked into the motel room, leaving Dean speechless in the parking lot.

Sam wasn't a monster, he was Dean's little brother. If Sam had honestly been working with the demons since the first night he disappeared, then he had a damn good reason why. Sam was the logical one, the one who always thought things through before doing them. Sam wasn't evil. He wasn't a monster.

Dean headed back into the motel room, doubts still running through his mind. Gordon was sitting at the table, waiting.

"Are you ready to track it down, Dean?" Gordon asked.

Dean sat down across from him. "Where's my brother?"

Gordon shifted in his seat. "Here's the thing. Your brother has fallen off the grid. Between last night and now, no one has seen or heard anything about Sam or his whereabouts." Dean bristled. "It's not hopeless, just harder." Gordon assured the worried Winchester. "Sam has been, well, teleporting places lately, and it's been harder to keep up with him. If we want to find out where he is, we'll have to summon a demon and torture the information out of it."

Dean stood up. "We better get moving, then. Don't want to waste any more time."

* * *

The newest demon in front of Sam was dangling in the air, its feet off the ground. Sam smirked as it clawed at its throat.

"Tell me again how a weak human like me can't lead Azazel's army?" Sam tightened his hold, causing the demon's struggles to increase. "What's that? No excuses? Good answer." Closing his eyes, Sam forces the demonic smoke out of meatsuit and into the depths of Hell.

Sam lowered the meatsuit to the ground. Ruby walked over to it and checked for any signs the girl occupying it survived. She shook her head. "I know Bailey pissed you off, Sam, but if you want to be a hero and save people you can't crush any more windpipes."

Sam nodded. Dean was the 'shoot first ask questions later' guy; Sam could restrain himself.

Ruby walked over to Sam and wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a hug. "I am _so_ proud of you, you dork. You exorcised Bailey in only five seconds! That's way faster than reciting any old exorcism. With a little more training, you could do some real good, Sam."

Sam hugged Ruby back, a smile filling his face. Even though he was working with demons, Sam could do some good for the world. He could still be a part of the family business: saving people, hunting things.

Sam pulled out of the embrace and looked at Ruby with those puppy dog eyes of his. "Thanks Ruby. I really appreciate your support in this."

Ruby laughed, pushing at Sam's arm. "Don't get overly sentimental on me, dork. We still have a long way to go before you can take on more powerful demons."

Sam snorted and rolled his eyes. "Jerk."

Ruby tossed a canteen over to Sam. "Drink up! Let's try to keep this next guy alive please?"


	23. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer: Supernatural isn't mine, never was, probably never will be (sadness).**

 **I spent the weekend in Atlanta at the Supernatural Convention and I got to meet the Supernatural actors! Eek! In honor of meeting my favorite actors, here's the latest update.**

* * *

"What do you want, _hunter_?" Rachel sneered. Of course she had to be the unlucky crossroads demon to get stuck in a devil's trap.

The man's face was expressionless as he responded. "I want answers. You will give them to me."

Rachel scoffed. "Yeah, right. What incentive do I have to spill the beans? And if you give me the 'we'll let you go' shit, can it. I'd rather wait for a car to drive by and break the seal than help you out."

The hunter gave her the creeps. He still stood there in front of her, face blank, seemingly unfazed by her uncooperative behavior. Slowly, he nodded. "That's what I thought."

Tilting her head in confusion, Rachel noticed a little too late the crunch of shoes on the turf behind her. The last thing she saw before the darkness overtook her was the hunter's face break into a small smile.

* * *

Dean looked down at the demon by his feet, then up at Gordon. "That was almost too easy. What if she doesn't know where Sam is?"

Gordon walked over, picked up the demon, and slung her over his shoulder. He started walking towards the car, Dean following closely behind. "She knows something. All demons know the gist of what's going on in Hell, and I'd bet my favorite machete Sam is big news down there." He dumped the demon in question unceremoniously in the trunk. "Let's go. The sooner we leave the sooner we find Sam."

* * *

Rachel opened her eyes, the back of her head still throbbing. Where the hell was she? Not Hell, obviously. Some cabin in the woods where no one would hear her screams most likely. How cliché of them.

Just then two men walked into the room. One she recognized as the man who summoned her, but the other was new. Both of them were glaring at her. Awesome.

The new guy spoke first. "This could go the easy way or the hard way. You could tell me what I want to know, or you could pretend to not know anything and I get you to spill anyways. Your choice." He crossed his arms, attempting to look menacing.

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Listen hot stuff. This isn't my first rodeo. You threaten me, I laugh. You torture me, I scream. You get annoyed I won't give you the information, I get exorcised. Just skip to the end and send me on my way. Finding a meat suit this attractive takes time."

The first hunter took a step forward and set his hand on the arm of the chair Rachel was tied to. Leaning forward, he whispered, "Oh, it's not my first rodeo either. Of course, I prefer vampires, but a monster is a monster and getting what I want takes time. I know that. The real question is: can you hold out longer than I can?" With that, he stood up and left the room.

Hot stuff uncrossed his arms and pulled up a chair. "Let's start out simple. Do you visit Hell often?"

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Of course I do. I'm a demon."

Unfazed, hot stuff continued. "Do you hear the gossip?"

"Gossip? You think we have a gossip column or something?"

Hot stuff jumped up, knocked his chair over, and got up in Rachel's face. "Do you think this is some sort of game?"

Rachel smiled. "That sounds like a great idea! Let's make this a game. I answer one of your questions, and then you answer one of mine. You've already gone, so it's my turn. What's your name?"

Hot stuff was practically brimming with frustration. It was a glory to behold. "Dean." He got out between clenched teeth. "Now, do you know what goes on in Hell or not?"

"Dean," Rachel chided, "you didn't answer my question fully. Your _last_ name?"

Dean picked up the fallen over chair and sat down, trying to stay calm. Pushing him to his breaking point will be a blast.

"Winchester."

Rachel's face fell. No no nononononon this couldn't be happening! _Winchester_?! Azazel's kid's last name was Winchester. Damn, Azazel had told the demons to steer clear of the kid's friends and family. Awesome.

Dean leaned forward. "What?" No response. "You know my brother, Sam! Where is he?"

Rachel bit her lip, thinking. What could she say without pissing off Azazel...

Holy water sizzled as it struck Rachel in the face. "Ack! Fine, you piece of shit!" Rachel knew exactly how to get under the oldest Winchester's skin. "Since you REALLY want to know, your brother has been training with a DEMON in Fall River, Massachusetts, to increase his DEMONIC POWERS."

Dean was silent for a moment. "Is the demon Sam is working with named Ruby?"

Rachel's jaw fell. How could he possibly have known that?

Dean nodded. Shit, she just confirmed his suspicions. Azazel was going to make her pay for that.

Dean pulled out a tiny book from his leather jacket. Double shit. Now she was going to get exorcised. Rachel screamed as she was ripped from her meat suit and thrown into the pits of Hell.

* * *

Dean checked the girl for any signs of a pulse. Nothing. The girl was dead before him and Gordon had trapped the demon. Never mind that; Dean had more important things to worry about.

He joined Gordon on the front porch, sitting on the steps. "Sam is somewhere in Fall River, Massachusetts, working with the Ruby chick from the graveyard. It's not much, but it's a start."

* * *

The last of the black smoke sizzled into the ground, and Sam lowered the red head gently to the ground. Seeing the girl start to stir, Sam looked at Ruby, startled, and then rushed to the red head's side.

"Hey, are you okay?" Sam helped her sit up.

The red head rubbed the back of her head. "Uh, yeah. I'm good. Where am I?"

Ruby crouched down next to the red head. "Fall River, Massachusetts. What do you remember?"

"Massachusetts?!" The girl's eyes widened. "But I was in Ohio! Elizabethville, Ohio! Oh, no. Oh no nonono!" She turned teary eyes up to the two strangers in front of her. "What happened to me?"

Sam rubbed her back consolingly. "Hey, it's going to be alright. You, uh, well..." Sam took a deep breath. "It'll be easier if I start from the beginning. My name's Sam, this is Ruby. What's your name?"

Wiping her eyes, the red head responded, "Emily."

Sam nodded. "Alright, Emily. I'm not too sure how long you've been gone, but you've been missing for a little bit. I'm sure your family is missing you." Helping Emily to her feet, Sam gazed at her with his empathetic puppy dog eyes. "But I promise you I'll make sure you get home safe. Sound good?"

Ruby stiffened next to him but said nothing. Yes, helping this girl home would take time away from his training, but wasn't this what it was all about? Helping people?

Sam led Emily out of the field and towards his car, a Toyota Prius. The car was very practical, just like Sam liked: fuel efficient, a hybrid, and it was a silver color – not too flashy. As Sam shut Emily's door, Ruby whispered to him, "I'm really glad you saved the girl and all, but you need more practice. Have Dante take her home."

Sam walked around the car to the driver's side. "Sorry, Ruby. I need to do this. I need to see this through. I'm sick of training in the field; I want to be out on the road again."

Sam had spent his whole life on the road. He needed to not just teleport, but drive. He needed to feel the wind through his hair as the car rushed down the road, the ache in his back when he sat too long in the cramped space. Sam needed to feel at _home_.

Ruby shook her head and climbed into the passenger seat. Maybe having a relaxing couple of days off wouldn't hurt. She smiled as leaned back and closed her eyes. It would take them twelve hours just to reach Ohio, meaning at least twenty-four hours with no Azazel. One stress-free day couldn't hurt, right?


	24. Chapter 24

**Disclaimer: You know the drill. Supernatural isn't mine (sadness).**

 **I'm so sorry for the really long wait. School is really busting my butt. I won't post for at least the next two weeks due to finals, but don't worry because I will post another chapter during the winter break.**

 **Big thanks to one of my guest readers, Tya, for reviewing; I'm glad you are enjoying the story thus far!**

* * *

The Impala slows down in front of an abandoned asylum. Dean steps out slowly, taking the place in. It wasn't hard to figure out where Sam was once they got to Fall River, Massachusetts. Asking directly about Sam had been a bust, but once he started to ask about a creepy, secluded place, this was the one that everyone mentioned. Some people even dropped the word 'haunted.'

Bushes and vines and other green plants covered the place. The building looked like it was being swallowed up by the earth. Dean pulled out a flask of holy water from his jacket pocket as Gordon joined him in front of the asylum.

"Might as well just walk up to the front and see if it's unlocked." Gordon casually walks past the startled Winchester and tries the vine-covered door.

"Gordon! You can't just go in through the front door!" Dean hissed. "Are you trying to get us killed?"

Gordon rolled his eyes. "Relax, Dean. No one's here. Look."

The door swings open to reveal a dimly lit waiting room. Just as Gordon predicted, there was no on in sight.

Dean grit his teeth, trying not to murder the man next to him. If only he could knock him off his high horse...

A sound off to Dean's right made him whirl, holy water at the ready. As the startled rat scampered away, Gordon laughed. "Are you going to be flinching at every sound you hear? I've already told you: there is no one here."

Dean glared at the smug hunter. "And how the hell do you know that?!"

"Dean, your brother is working with demons, remember? I did a little research, and all signs of demonic activity in this area stopped a day ago. The demons left this place yesterday, and, if I had to guess, your brother left with them."

Dean glared at Gordon. Ugh, why did the guy have to be so damn cocky? "Sam could still be here, and I am gonna search every last inch of this place if I have to." Dean growled.

Gordon shrugged. "Lead the way."

* * *

Sam looked back at Emily as she lets out a small gasp. He didn't see anything disturbing outside the car. They were passing by small white houses, a church, the town bar...

"Stop the car!" Emily all but shouted. Sam stepped on the brakes and parked the car next to the bar.

He turned in his seat. "Emily, what's the matter?"

Emily looked close to tears. "Th-the town..." As she looked out the window, her eyes got even bigger. "Daniel?!"

She shot out of the car, Sam and Ruby close behind.

"DANIEL!" As a small Asian man turned around, Emily ran up to him and hugged him.

He pulled out of the hug and looked up at the red head in front of him. "Emily? Where have you been?"

Emily looked back at Sam and Ruby. "It's, uh, well... Daniel, what happened to our town?!"

Daniel looked around and smiled. "It got fun! We got booze, hookers, anything you desire." He smirked. "You missed out on a lot of fun."

Emily frowned. "This isn't right, Daniel. Where's Andy? I want to talk to my brother."

The smile fell from Daniel's face. He looked uncomfortable. "Emily..." He whispered in her ear, quiet enough so Sam couldn't hear what he was saying. Whatever it was, it wasn't good. Emily's eyes filled with tears and she cried into the shorter man's shoulder.

Daniel pulled away Emily, obviously uncomfortable. "I'm sorry, man, but you can't live in the past. The whole town's moved on. You should, too."

Emily pushed Daniel. "Move on?! He died two days ago, and you're telling me no one cares? That I should move on?! What happened to our town?" With that, Emily stomped over to Sam and Ruby.

"Emily, I'm so sorry for your loss." Sam consoled.

Emily sniffed angrily. "Yeah, well you seem to be the only one sorry." She turned her pleading eyes up to him. "He committed suicide. Suicide! I know my brother. He wouldn't do that. Please, _please_ help me figure out what happened to my town. This used to be a town you could be proud of. People cared about each other. This," she motioned to the rowdy mass inside the bar, "is not normal."

Sam looked at Ruby. She shrugged, telling him to do whatever he wanted. Sam looked back at Emily and smiled. "You've been gone for quite some time, Emily. Things change. I'll be glad to drive you home, but I have no idea what you want me to look for. Do you think the town is cursed?"

Emily looked down at her feet. "I... I guess not."

* * *

After Sam dropped Emily off, he and Ruby checked into a local motel. Once there, they started researching the town. Emily was telling the truth. The town had no major crimes, no demonic omens of any kind, no unnatural deaths at all until after the devil's gate was opened.

Sam shut his computer with a sigh. "Looks like this town was ruined because of me."

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Sam, don't be so dramatic. This town isn't ruined. They are only as bad as your brother."

Sam tensed up. "What?"

* * *

Ruby suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. Just when she thought she was making progress with Sam, she had to say the taboo word. If she wasn't careful, Sam would turn back into Mr. Morals and run off to his brother. Sigh.

Ruby walked behind Sam and started to rub the tension out of his shoulders. Time do what demons do best: manipulate. "Sam, you can't get all riled up anytime someone mentions your brother. If anyone finds out he's your weakness, they'll use it against you. Not every demon is okay with following you, Sam. You can't show any weakness or a wayward demon will use that to his advantage. I only meant the town isn't doing anything worse than drinking and having sex, qualities your brother enjoys quite frequently. One suicide isn't out of the norm."

The tension slowly left Sam's shoulders. Success. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I just... I feel like I'm letting my brother down, you know? He only sees things in black and white; he wouldn't understand why I'm working with you."

Ruby walked around to look Sam in his soft, hazel eyes. Time to send him back on track. "He'll understand in the end. Until then, let's find the demons responsible for this town."


	25. Chapter 25

**Disclaimer: Shocker, I still don't own Supernatural.**

 **Big thanks to** _ **Tya**_ **for your review! I took your review into consideration and I think this really fits with the real Sam. Tell me if you think so, too!**

 **The mid-season finale of season 12 was just AAHHH! January 26** **th** **can't come soon enough.**

 **Finals are _finally_ over, thank goodness! As promised, here is the latest update. Enjoy!**

* * *

Sam pulled into one of the few parking spots available outside the bar: Trotter's Bar. As Sam looked at the bar, the hairs on the back of his neck stood up on end. There were demons inside the bar, he was sure of it.

Ruby slammed the car door shut and called over the hood, "Sam! Are you coming or what?"

Sam climbed out of the car and nodded, eyes peeled for the demons. Ruby walked over to Sam and pulled his arm.

"C'mon Sam, what are you waiting for?" Ruby finally noticed Sam eyeing the mob of people. "You can't expect everyone to be a demon, Sam. Let's go talk to some people and see where the demons are hanging out."

Sam continued to scan the crowd. "The demons are in the bar right now."

Ruby's brow furrowed. "How can you tell? Do you see them?"

Sam shook his head. "No, but I feel their presence. I'm fairly certain there are only two demons, but we should still proceed with caution."

Ruby tucked her blonde hair behind her left ear and followed as Sam led the way into the bar. When she spoke, her voice was full of pride. "You must be getting stronger! Even I couldn't tell you a demon was here unless I saw them. Great work Sam."

Sam slipped into the bar unnoticed; the patrons were too busy taking shots and downing booze to even look at him. Sam slowly made his way through the sea of people, ending up at the bar. The demons were close. Too close.

Looking to his right, Sam saw a man sitting two seats down from him. Sam instinctively knew he was a demon, along with the bartender serving him. Ruby sat down on Sam's left as he eavesdropped on the pair.

"A certain bartender I know owes me a confession." The man smirked. It was then that Sam realized the man was a pastor. Why were the people not surprised to see a man of the church drinking?

"Not in this lifetime father." The bartender took a shot with the pastor. Sam would've been appalled if he didn't know they were demons. No one else seemed to care, though.

The pastor leaned forward, shaking his finger playfully at the bartender. "I better see your butt in church come Sunday."

Sam almost gagged. Ugh, they were _flirting_.

The bartender smiled and took another shot. The pastor winked and turned to leave the bar. Sam turned to Ruby. "Ruby, follow the pastor, trap him if you can. I'm going to talk to the bartender."

Ruby smiled playfully. "I see how it is. You just want some alone time with the brunette."

Sam felt the heat rising to his cheeks. "No... I-I didn't..."

Ruby laughed. "Have fun, prince charming!"

Sam turned back to face the bar, face a bright pink. Taking a deep breath to - hopefully - return his face to a normal color, Sam flagged down the bartender. The second she saw Sam, she went rigid with surprise. Then, a large smile lit her face.

That wasn't the effect Sam thought he'd have, especially not since the effect he had on the Seven Deadly Sins was less than pleasant.

The bartender sauntered over, hips swaying. She leaned on the bar, smiling large. "If you want a drink, I'd be happy to oblige. I make a mean hurricane." She bit her lip teasingly. "But, if you had something else in mind, Sam, I'm free around seven."

Sam sat there in shock. This was not how this conversation was supposed to go down. "Hey-"

The bartender's face fell. She was looking at the pool table in the corner. Sam turned and saw what caught her attention. A middle-aged man was walking up to the pool table.

"Hi John."

The man playing looked up. "Richie. Everything okay with you?"

Richie stared expressionlessly at John. "Oh, I'm just not feeling myself today."

Sam's stomach dropped when he saw Richie holding a gun by his side. "Shit!"

He jumped up and ran towards the pool table. Richie raised the gun and shot John point-blank in the head, then turned the gun on himself. The room erupted in screams. Sam tackled Richie before he could shoot, disarming the troubled man. Man, not demon.

He pulled the man to his feet. "What the hell, man?"

Richie looked at Sam with grief-stricken eyes. "He slept with my wife. The bastard slept with my wife!"

Sam looked up to see the bartender watching him. "Somebody called 911." He shouted to everyone in the bar. The bartender picked up the phone and called it in, eyes on Sam the whole time.

* * *

Sam stayed at the bar until the police arrived, turning down offers of beer, shots, even water. Drinks from a demon weren't drinks he should trust.

 _Then why did you drink from Ruby's flask?_

Sam looked down at his feet, a frown tugging down the corners of his mouth. Why wasn't he more careful? Whatever was in that flask, it obviously gave him power, but that could not be a good thing. Sam was sure that Dean would rather die than have him down some vile concoction. He made a note to be more cautious around Ruby from now on.

"Ready for your mugshot?" Sam was brought out of his internal musings when a man with white hair, the sheriff, walked over.

At Sam's bewildered expression, the sheriff smiled. "Photographer will be here in a few, and take your picture for the local paper."

Sam smiled, looking back down at his shoes. "I don't need any recognition."

The sheriff clapped Sam on the shoulder. "You're a hero, son. It's the least we could do."

Sam looked at the sheriff and nodded his head. "It'd be an honor, sir."

The sheriff smiled even wider, if that were possible, and walked away. _Time to go_. Sam thought to himself.

* * *

Ruby was surprised to say the least when the pastor walked back to the church. A demon inside a church just seemed... weird. She walked around to the back of the church, using the back door to get into the office in the back.

She was sitting on the office chair when the pastor walked in.

"Hey padre." Ruby smiled, feet propped up on the table.

The demon's eyes flashed black. "Ruby."

Ruby's smile fell, replaced by a scowl. "What are you doing here? Last I heard of you, you were being flayed on the racks for disobedience."

The pastor gave a scowl of his own. "Azazel doesn't deserve to rule. The only thing I can commend him on is getting his precious _boy king_ to open the gates of hell and letting me out."

Ruby walked around the desk, getting up in the pastor's face. " _Sam_ is going to do great things for us. He's going to become so powerful you will bow down to him and beg his forgiveness for EVER mocking him. Unless you want to become puppy chow, I suggest you change your attitude."

"Oh? And what are you gonna do about it? Azazel doesn't care for you. He gave you the freaking job of babysitter! You have no real power down there, and the second your precious _Sam_ is finished training, he'll throw you to the side. So give me your best shot."

An evil smile slowly filled Ruby's face. "Gladly."

Her eyes flashed black, and the sounds of barking and growling could be heard. The pastor took a step back, terrified.

"W-what?"

"How stupid do you think I am? I knew you couldn't be trusted, so I called up Azazel as I followed you here. He sent me a couple pets to share with you. Would you like to meet them?"

The back door to the church slammed open. In the doorway were three vicious, snarling hellhounds. They locked their eyes on the trembling pastor. At Ruby's nod, the hellhounds leapt at him, ripping his meatsuit to shreds and dragging the demon's soul back into the pit.

She looked down at the shredded remains of the pastor. "Azazel doesn't care, huh?"

* * *

Sam spent the better part of the following day researching. Elizabethville, Ohio, used to be a small town no one knew about. Not even demons bothered to make any sort of deals in the sleepy town. That is, until the devil's gate opened. Apparently a guy named Trotter, the guy who owns the bar, used to own the rotary club, but then he turned into a major asshole. He brought in the gambling and hookers, and now practically owns the town. It sounded like he was possessed by a demon.

Sam decided to pay Trotter a visit at the bar. Shutting his laptop, Sam turned to Ruby, who was sitting on the bed reading a magazine. "Hey, I'm going to do some recon down at the bar. Call if you need me."

Ruby glanced at him over her magazine, her eyebrow quirked. "Uh, huh. Couldn't get enough of that bartender?"

Sam pulled his jacket on with a huff. "Ruby, get your mind out of the gutter. I'm not going to talk to the bartender; I'm going to talk to the bar's owner. And at least I'm doing something! You haven't done anything except make fun of me this whole time."

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Liar. I followed the pastor yesterday. Per _your_ request."

Sam threw his hands up. "Did you really? 'Cause I haven't heard shit about that from you! It's like you're keeping secrets from me, Ruby, and I don't respond well being lied to!"

* * *

Ruby set down her magazine. The explosion of anger was not unexpected. Ruby was actually surprised he lasted this long without trying to exorcise her with his powers.

She patted the bed next to her. Sam shot her his world famous bitch-face, ignoring her offer to sit down. Ruby had to stop herself from rolling her eyes. Ugh, Sam could be such a pain. Ruby stood up and walked over to Sam, craning her neck to look into his untrusting eyes.

"Sam, I'm gonna let you in on a little secret of mine: if you want to know something, you have to ask. I'm a demon, meaning I'm not the caring and sharing type. I don't write the events of the day in a diary, and I sure as hell don't give progress reports unless asked. That's how it has been while I worked with Azazel, unless I'm gloating, so _excuse_ me for not running to your side desperate to keep you updated!"

Ruby shot Sam a glare of her own, daring him to fight her.

Too bad he actually took the challenge.

"You know what, Ruby? I don't think you realize how much I don't trust you! Like you said, you're a DEMON. I'm not going to just fall in line and believe everything you said. Hell, I didn't even do that for my own father! So, yeah, if I send you on recon, I expect at least _some_ intel on the pastor. And, newsflash Ruby, I'm not Azazel! I don't do things the same way he does." Sam turned from her, obviously pissed. He lowered his voice, but it didn't sound any less threatening. "Listen, and listen well. The only reason I'm working to advance my powers with you is to save people. To _help_ people. Not to get you good standings in the demon hierarchy or to lead your freaking demon army to victory. I am training by my own accord, and if you continue to try and undermine me or lie to me, you can guarantee I will go back to my brother and hunt down every last one of your kind down." He fixed her with a glare over his shoulder. "Starting with your lying ass."

* * *

 **Reviews are always welcome :)**


	26. Chapter 26

**Disclaimer: Supernatural isn't mine.**

 **Shout out to** _ **Bella4evr**_ **,** _ **Tya,**_ **and an anonymous _Guest_ ****for the reviews! It's always great to hear feedback, either good or bad.**

* * *

Now _that_ was unexpected.

Ruby thought she was making progress, getting somewhere with Sam. Now, she realizes, she never made any progress with him. Ruby went into this mission too cocky, confident she could flip Sam's loyalties. Seeing the seething man in front of her, Ruby realized how wrong she was. If she didn't want to get sent back to Hell, she'd have to fix this. Fast.

"Sam." Ruby's voice shook. She cleared her throat and tried again. "Sam, I understand you're upset-"

"Upset?!" Sam clenched his fists in anger. "Upset doesn't begin to describe how I feel!"

Ruby took a step back. How could this have gone to shit so fast? "Sam, you need to calm down."

Sam barked a short, mirthless laugh. "Calm down? Sure, Ruby. I'll just blindly do what you say, 'cause all I'm good for is following orders, right? Fall in line and lead your demon army?"

"Sam, you know that's not true." Ruby tried placating him, to no avail.

Sam stared daggers at Ruby, at the end of his rope. "You know what, Ruby? I think it'll be better if you stop training me. In fact, I'm going to help this town all on my own, and if I run into you while I'm here, you can bet it won't be a pleasant meeting."

With that, Sam grabbed his duffle bag and walked out the door.

"Sam-" Ruby's call was cut off by the slamming of the motel door. Great. How was she going to convince Sam to do his part for her end game? She needed to get back into his good graces, and fast.

* * *

Sam walked to the bar, fuming the whole way. Ruby was such a... a... a bitch! There was no way he'd keep working with her, not even if Azazel himself threatened Sam's life.

Sam stopped outside Trotter's Bar, duffle bag still slung over his shoulder. Find Trotter, see if he is a demon, and exorcise the bartender while he's at it. Simple, right?

Sam walked in, making a beeline for the bar. The bartender saw him coming and glared. That was a different reaction than he got last time.

"Sam, what did you do?" Up close, the bartender looked less angry and more... disappointed?

Sam sat down and cocked his head to the side. "What do you mean?"

The bartender lowered her voice, leaning in close. "The other demon that was here; what did you do to him?"

Sam shook his head. "I don't know what happened." His features hardened. "Ruby followed him and hasn't said anything since."

The bartender looked over at the only other person behind the bar. "I'm taking my break."

She jumped over the bar and took Sam's hand, leading him out of the bar and towards her car. Sam wrenched his hand out of her grasp.

"What the hell? I'm not going anywhere with you!"

The bartender rolled her eyes. "Sam, I'm not going to hurt you. I want to see you succeed."

Sam snorted. "Yeah, I wonder why I would have a hard time believing that."

"I believe in you." The bartender grabbed Sam's left arm softly, barely even touching him. "I would follow you to the ends of time if you asked me to."

Sam looked down at her. "Why? I don't even know you."

A smile lit her face. "I'm Casey." She took her hand off his arm and opened the car door, sliding into the driver's seat. "C'mon. It'll take us a while to get there."

What was it about him that made demons attracted to Sam? Just when he got free of Ruby, this Casey chick jumps on the Sam-train.

He bent over, peering into the car. "Hey, Casey, is Trotter a demon?"

Casey smirked, flipping her black hair over her shoulder. "No, but me and him had a little chat."

That got Sam's attention. "You did what?"

"I would love to tell ya, but I have places to be. Hop in and I'll tell ya."

Sam was done being pushed around by demons. He reached out his hand and began choking Casey. "I don't like being told what to do by a demon."

Casey grabbed helplessly at her throat, her eyes wide with surprise.

"S-am." Casey had stopped struggling. Her eyes were closed, her body relaxed. "I... s-supp-port... your... d-decis-ion."

Sam released her, more than a little disturbed. What kind of demon wants to be sent back to Hell?

As Casey gasped for air, Sam sat down in the car, shutting the door. "Why?"

Casey glanced up at Sam, confused. "What?"

"Why are you supporting my decisions? Why did you stop struggling? Why do you seem so interested in me?!" Sam was staring intently at Casey, demanding answers.

Casey took one last deep breath and turned the key in the ignition. "Sam, you are going to do great things. I have chosen to support you in your venture; you are the one I'm betting on. My only concern is that Ruby had the other demon sent back to Hell. She may seem to be helpful, but she consorts with Azazel. In the coming war, demons are either with Azazel or with you. There is no gray area."

Sam thought Ruby hated Azazel. He voiced as much.

"Ruby hates everyone. She was a horrible person when she was human, and she's a horrible person as a demon. All she wants is to fulfil her mission, whatever that is. Don't trust her, Sam. She's on her own agenda and she'll use everyone she can to get it."

Under different circumstances, Sam would've thought it was funny a demon was lecturing him on trust. As it was, Sam was trying to decide whether or not it would be smart to exorcise a demon while she's driving a moving car.

The car slowed down, stopping outside a small farmhouse. "We're here."

Casey opened her door, followed quickly by Sam. The sky was a deep purple, the last bits of sunlight fading into the horizon. Sam followed Casey, worried he'd lose her in the dark if he looked away.

She led him around back and into what Sam could only call a dungeon. Candles hung on the wall, giving the place a nice orange glow. The walls were made of concrete and Sam could see some weapons through a partially open doorway. The rug in the center of the floor was the only item that didn't give off a dungeon-vibe.

"Tell me what you did to Trotter, to this whole town." Sam leaned against a concrete pillar, watching Casey's every move.

She finished lighting the last candle and turned to face Sam. She looked mildly annoyed. "Do you want to know what I did? What I _really_ did? I had lunch."

Sam cocked his head to the side. "Lunch?"

"Me and Trotter. He had a cheeseburger, I had a salad, and I just pointed out the money that could be made with a few businesses that cater to a harmless vise. So Trotter built it, and _man_ , did they come. Supposedly God-fearing folk, waist-deep in booze, sex, gambling, and I barely lifted a finger." Casey sighed and sat down on a barrel.

"That's it?" Sam refused to believe a demon turned a quiet Christian town into booze central without making a single deal.

"You don't get it. All you gotta do is nudge humans in the right direction. Some whiskey here, a hooker there, and they'll walk right into Hell with big, fat smiles on their faces. Humans are corrupt, Sam. Weak. Our will's stronger. That's why we'll win."

"And that's how it ends?" Sam was confused. First, Casey said he would lead the demon army, then she's calling him weak.

"No. That's how it begins." Casey leaned towards Sam, eyes shining with excitement. "You're going to lead us to victory. You will help create a better world."

Sam shook his head. "No, this doesn't make sense. You said humans are weak. Why would you want me to lead your stupid army. Have Azazel lead it."

Casey frowned, wrinkling her nose in disgust. "Azazel's a tyrant. He's barely holding Hell together as it is. There are a lot of demons who would rather follow you, Sam. Who are loyal to _you_. We need you, Sam, because you aren't like the other humans. You're special."

"I'm tainted, you mean." Sam felt sick; he could almost feel the demon blood coursing through his veins.

"No, Sam, we aren't going to follow you because Azazel bled into your mouth as a baby. You are special in ways you can't imagine. Our Lord has a great interest in you; he sees your potential." Casey stood up and walked over to the rug, sitting cross-legged at its center.

Sam turned his body, keeping his eyes on her. "You mean demons have a God?"

Casey smiled, leaning back on her hands. "Humans have a God, so do we. We call him Lucifer."

Sam's expression hardened. "You mean the devil?"

Casey stiffened, then relaxed again. "Your word, not ours. Lucifer actually means 'Light-Bringer.' Look it up."

All the pieces were falling into place, and Sam didn't like where it was leading. "Why does Lucifer have any interest in me?"

Casey shrugged. "Not sure."

The room was quiet, many unanswered questions floating around in Sam's head.

Casey broke the silence. "I did it for you, ya know."

"What?"

"Talking to Trotter, changing this uneventful town into the funhouse it is. I did it in your name. Many of the people here will be sent to Hell, creating more followers for you."

Sam shifted on the barrel, uncomfortable. "I don't want more people to be sent to Hell. I want to _save_ people."

Casey stood up, an excited look on her face. "I know how you can gain the respect from the demons while still saving people!"

Sam stood up, curiosity getting the better of him. "How?"

* * *

 **I co-wrote a Supernatural/Harry Potter crossover with my Beta _Alytiger_ , if you have a spare moment please check it out! It's called "Hexed Hearts" and it's based off of the Supernatural episode 2x17.**


	27. Chapter 27

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

 **Thanks _Bella4evr3_ the continued support!**

* * *

"You're trying to get me killed!" Sam narrowed his eyes at Casey.

Casey didn't seem disturbed in the least. "Sam, it makes sense, and you know it does. You're more than powerful enough."

Sam threw his hands up in the air in frustration. "Powerful enough?! You're asking me to kill the demon that killed my mother _and_ my father!"

Casey frowned, tilting her head to the side. "You're not scared, Sam. I don't feel fear radiating off of you, so why don't you want to do it? Don't you want Azazel dead for everything he's done to your family?"

Sam rubbed his hand over his face, frustrated. "Yes, I do, but what you're asking for is a one-way ticket to death! Demons will be trying to kill me left and right for taking out Azazel."

Casey shook her head. "No, Sam. Most of the demons will be grateful you killed that tyrant. Having demons respect you is far greater than having demons fear you."

Sam took a deep breath, regretting his decision already. "Okay, I'll do it."

* * *

"He _WHAT_?!" Azazel was practically buzzing with anger. Ruby had just informed him of Sam's little outburst earlier, and he was not happy.

"He doesn't want to work with me anymore, sir." Ruby kept her voice from trembling, too proud to show fear.

Azazel narrowed his eyes, then smiled. When he next spoke, his voice was quiet. "Ruby, you know Sam has always been my favorite."

Ruby nodded, confused. Calm Azazel wasn't always a good thing.

"Do you know _why_ he's my favorite?"

Ruby shook her head. Nope, not really. Didn't really care.

Azazel walked over to Ruby, standing just inches away from her. "Sam's my favorite because he has spunk. He has a temper. Sam's my favorite because as much good as he has in him, there's twice as much unharnessed evil."

Ruby froze. The plan. The overall game plan. If she wasn't close to Sam, it would never work out.

Azazel moved closer, his mouth right next to Ruby's ear. His next words came out as a whisper. "If you can't get Sam back on track to harnessing the evil inside him, if he doesn't follow through with the plan, then you and Alistair will have a one-on-one session downstairs."

Azazel turned and walked back to his chair, sitting down. "Dismissed."

Ruby left the room, Azazel's words still echoing in her head. She needed to get Sam's trust again, but how?

* * *

Dean was eating his greasy burrito when it happened. He saw a light, first one, then more came flickering on. Dropping his forgotten burrito on the ground, Dean moved over to where Gordon was checking their weapons.

"Gordon! Lights are on in the building!" Dean whispered as loud as he dared.

Gordon looked up at the asylum, his body freezing. Moving ever so slowly, he pulled out a pair of binoculars and looked through them, scanning the house. "I see at least three demons, but we need to be prepared for more. No sign of your brother."

Dean took a deep breath to calm his nerves. He was so close to finding Sammy. "We should trap one and question it; see what we're up against."

Gordon nodded. "Let's get to work."

* * *

Ruby punched the windowsill, letting out a frustrated yell. Why did this all have to go to shit? Why couldn't Sam have just fallen in line and been a gullible little pawn? Freaking Winchester.

Time was running out, and Ruby had no intention of seeing Alistair anytime soon. How was she going to get Sam to listen to her?

Looking out the window, Ruby saw movement to her right. Looking closer, she saw the outlines of two people crouching in the foliage. Wait. Not just any people. On closer inspection, Ruby realized one of the guys was Sam's brother. Thank Lucifer, she found her way back to Sam! He'll do anything to save his brother, this Ruby knew. It was time to show Sam how much of a demon she really was.

With no time to waste, Ruby teleported to the front yard.

"Hello boys." She flashed her eyes black for dramatic effect. "You might as well come out of hiding, I know you're here."

Slowly, Dean stood up.

Ruby shook her head. "You too, sweet cheeks."

The dark-skinned one also stood up, looking considerably pissed off.

Recognition flashed across Dean's features before he scowled. "Hey, you're the demon bitch that's been brainwashing my brother!"

Ruby smirked. "Your brother has been working with me on his own free will."

That much was obvious once he threatened her. No need to tell these dweebs that.

Dean tensed, looking ready to pounce. "My brother isn't evil! He wouldn't work with a demon unless you had leverage! What are you holding over him?"

"Right now? Nothing." Ruby swept her hand to the side, knocking the other hunter to the side. Raising her other hand, Ruby threw Dean past her into the asylum wall. "But I _will_ have leverage over him soon. You."

Dean didn't have the reaction she expected. Instead of turning white, sputtering about leaving his baby brother alone, Dean smiled. What the hell?

It wasn't until she heard the footsteps behind her that Ruby realized he thought they had a chance. Turning around, Ruby once again threw the nameless hunter across the yard. She walked towards him, taunting.

"You really think you can stop me? I'm Azazel's second in command, his most trusted demon! I have more power than you could _imagine_." She threw the hunter further, slamming him into a tree. "And you know what? I have big plans for Sam. He is going to become more powerful than even Azazel himself. All the demons will bow down to him. And no pathetic _hunter_ will ruin that!"

Ruby threw herself forward, ready to finish off the hunter, when an invisible force stopped her.

"What the hell?" Ruby looked down, moving the vines away with her shoe. Devil's trap.

The hunter smiled at her. "We are gonna have a nice, long chat."

* * *

Dean threw more holy water at the blonde in front of him. "You were so talkative earlier, why clam up now?"

The demon glared at him with her black eyes. "You really wanna know the truth? Fine. Ask away. I promise you'll hate the answer."

Dean narrowed his eyes. "Don't lie to me-"

"I won't lie; it'll be too much fun seeing you react to the truth." The demon sneered.

Dean looked at Gordon, but the other hunter's face was blank. Squaring his shoulders, Dean turned back to the blonde bitch in front of him.

"What's your name?"

"Ruby."

"Okay, Ruby, when did you first meet my brother?"

Ruby smiled. "I saved his ass while you were dealing with the Seven Deadly Sins."

Dean frowned, the pieces falling into place. "You're the reason Sam vanished on us!"

"Give the man a cookie!"

Dean threw more holy water on her. "Shut up, bitch. You answer questions or you shut up."

Ruby rolled her eyes. "You won't exorcise me until you have the information you need, so I can and will be as annoying as I want. Whatever you do to me now is _nothing_ compared to what'll happen to me once I'm sent downstairs."

Gordon stepped up to the demon. "I have one question, and one question only: is Sam evil?"

Dean bristled. "Walker!"

Gordon held up his pointer finger, silencing him. "I get my one question."

An evil smile crossed Ruby's face. "Sam has the potential to destroy the world."

Dean slapped Ruby, not doing the demon much harm but making him feel better. "That doesn't answer the damn question!"

"Oooh, I thought you had faith in that brother of yours?"

Ruby was getting on Dean's nerves, and he knew that was a dangerous thing. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he said, "I _do_ have faith in Sam, but I've already told you that you _would_ be answering our questions, and he asked you a question."

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Whatever lets you sleep at night." An evil smile crossed her features. "But, fine. Here's your answer: Sam has more evil locked inside of him than you could ever imagine."

Gordon nodded, leaving the room.

Dean wasn't done. "You said Sam had the evil 'locked inside of him.' You didn't _say_ he was evil."

"You are in a _world_ of denial, Dean." Ruby's smile didn't waver.

Dean changed the subject. "Why did Sam kill Bela Talbot? He wouldn't kill for no reason."

Ruby thought about her answer. "Hmm, Sam killed Bela because, uh... because I threw her against the tree."

She looked way too proud of herself.

Dean narrowed her eyes. "I can make this uncomfortable for one of us."

Ruby sighed. "FINE. Sam killed Bela because she had a mortal wound in her side from where a tree branch was sticking out of her side. Happy now?"

Dean nodded, relieved. "Very. Next question: who's Azazel?"

"You're not as smart as you think you are. Did you honestly think we'd just call him yellow eyes? All demons have names."

Dean's eyes widened. "The demon who killed my parents?!"

"The one and only. Sam is his second in command, getting ready to lead the demon army against all of mankind." Ruby's eyes went black. "Sam's been using those powers of his, and you know what? The more he uses them, the darker he gets."

"Where is my brother now?" Dean growled.

Ruby shook her head. "I don't know."

Holy water splashed across her face. "Liar!"

Ruby yelled back at Dean, "I'm not lying! Sam didn't want me around anymore, so he kicked me to the freaking curb! That's why I tried to capture you! So he'd _have_ to listen to me!"

Dean set the bottle of holy water down. "Why'd he get rid of you?"

Ruby looked at Dean with such hatred it almost startled him. Almost. "Because your stupid brother and his stupid ass morals decided he wanted to fuck with the game plan, and he couldn't stand me withholding information."

That got Dean's attention. "Game plan?"

"Yeah, game plan. End game. What would you prefer me to call it? The end-all-be-all?" Ruby's voice was dripping with sarcasm.

"Listen, bitch. You're going to tell me what this game plan is-"

"Or you'll send me to Hell?" Ruby interrupted. "Like you're not already planning on it. Why don't _you_ go to Hell?"  
Dean pulled out his dad's journal and flipped to an exorcism."Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus... should I keep going?"

Ruby was sweating, but she glared at him in defiance. "Go to Hell."

"Omnis satanica potestas, omnis incuriso infernalis adversii. Omnis congregation et secta..."


	28. Chapter 28

**Disclaimer: I am only borrowing the Supernatural characters, I do not own them.**

 **Thanks again to _Tya_ and _Bella4evr3_ for your reviews!**

* * *

Azazel had a bad feeling. It started after Ruby left, and it continued to grow as the day progressed.

Was he scared? No, rulers of Hell don't get _scared_ ; he just had a healthy respect for how much power Sam held. He was progressing much faster than anticipated, and if he didn't trust his mentor, Ruby, anymore, there was no telling who Sam would direct his powers at.

Azazel felt another presence in the room. Knowing his demons would never disrespect him by popping in unannounced, Azazel turned to look at none other than Sam.

Azazel smiled awkwardly. "Sammy."

"Don't call me that." Sam's eyes were shooting daggers at Azazel.

Clearing his throat, Azazel tried again. "That's fine, Sam. I respect that. Nicknames are for followers, not leaders."

Sam didn't look amused. "Leaders? You think I'm a leader?"

Azazel stood up and took a step towards Sam. "Of course I do, Sam. You know that. You're destined to lead my army."

Sam's eyes narrowed even more, if that were possible. " _Your_ army? It doesn't sound like I'll be leading anything. In fact, I think you're just using me."

Azazel laughed breathily. "Ha, uh, where would you get that idea?"

Sam stepped forward threateningly. "I have a lot of ideas, Azazel."

Azazel stood up at his full height, still shorter than the man in front of him. "Sam, you know I love that brilliant mind of yours. Why don't we sit down and talk about your ideas?"

Sam shifted his weight from foot to foot. "I'd rather not."

Azazel stopped himself from rejoicing. The kid was holding back, unsure. He could work with this. "Sam, you know you're my favorite. I'd do anything to help you."

Sam's features hardened again. "Like kill my girlfriend?"

Damn. He lost him again.

"Sam, that was-"

"No. No more lies." Sam interrupted, advancing on Azazel.

"Sam, what are doing?" Azazel wasn't scared. No, he was, uh... He was fucking terrified.

Sam smiled, his teeth red. "I'm showing you one of my ideas."

Raising his hand, Sam furrowed his brow in concentration. Azazel fought as Sam tried to exorcise him. He was Azazel, damn it, and there was no way he'd let a punk Winchester exorcise him, boy king or not.

Azazel was unaffected by salt, holy water was nothing, and he was the most feared demon in Hell, second only to Alistair and his torture techniques. Sam shouldn't be able to exorcise him!

Azazel was right. Sam wasn't exorcising him. He was doing much worse.

Azazel was being burned inside his meatsuit. Sam was killing him, not exorcising him. Azazel tried fleeing his meatsuit, desperate to escape, but Sam's power held him captive as he burned.

The last thing Azazel saw was Sam's black eyes.

* * *

 **Two Hours Earlier**

Casey handed Sam a huge glass of red liquid. "You'll teleport into the main hall - Azazel's always sitting in that throne of his - and use your powers on him."

Sam eyed the thick liquid in the glass. "What will keep the other demons from entering the room to help?"

Casey shrugged. "They'll only come if Azazel calls to them, although I don't see you having any trouble taking them on."

"Mmhm." Sam was skeptical.

Casey nodded to the glass in his hand. "That will give you a boost. I believe Ruby gave it to you before.

Sam thought back. The flask. "What is it?"

"Demon's blood." The reply was as nonchalant as if they were talking about the weather.

"W-what?!" Sam sputtered, eyeing the glass with contempt.

Casey looked Sam dead in the eyes. "Demon's blood. Drinking it enhances your abilities."

Sam was so over dealing with demons. "What the hell, Casey? I'm not drinking demon's blood!"

"Why not? It's already in your system."

"Thanks for the reminder! I have to live as a monster, but that doesn't mean I have to act like one."

Casey tucked her black hair behind her ear. "Listen, Sam. I want nothing more than for you to take down Azazel and lead the demons, but you can't do that without a little help. Do you take out wendigoes with your bare hands? No, you use a flare gun. Think of the demon's blood as your weapon against Azazel."

Sam looked between Casey and the glass. "This is a lot more than I drank last time. Will that have any effect on me? Any withdrawal symptoms?"

Casey shook her head. "As far as I know, there are no withdrawal symptoms."

Sam thought back to when he first downed demon's blood. It had given him a buzz as the power had coursed through him, but afterwards he was fine.

Taking one final look at Casey, Sam steeled his resolve and downed the demon's blood.

* * *

 **Now**

Sam felt energized, pumped. Azazel was gone, dead, and the high still hadn't worn off yet. He felt on top of the world.

He turned to look at the door seconds before Casey waltzed in, a flood of demons behind her.

"You did it, Sam!" Casey had a huge smile on her face.

The room grew quiet; all eyes were on Azazel's meatsuit.

A lone demon stepped forward. Dante.

"Who was it that killed Azazel? We all felt his death."

Sam stood up to his full height, well aware of Dante's aversion to him. "I killed Azazel."

Dante knelt down and bowed his head. "I pledge to follow you, Sam, and to obey your every command without fail, so help me Lucifer."

Dante stood up slowly, nodded once at Sam, and turned and left the room.

Sam was shocked. He was sure Dante hated him, was sure Dante would try to become the new ruler of Hell, and yet he pledged his allegiance.

After Dante left, other demons stepped forward and also pledged their allegiance to Sam. Some demons chose to leave without saying anything at all. Sam wasn't bothered by it. He knew every demon wouldn't accept his leadership without him first earning their trust.

Only Sam, Casey, and the two demons guarding the door were left. Looking at the two guards, Sam made his first order as ruler of Hell. "You two. Salt and burn Azazel's meatsuit. I don't want anyone else occupying it."

The demons rushed forward and grabbed Azazel's old meatsuit. "Yes sir."

* * *

 **Sorry** _ **Tya**_ **; I know you liked Azazel, but it had to be done.**


	29. Chapter 29

**Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural. I am simply borrowing.**

 **I know I took a long time to post, but in my defense my computer was acting up. You might want to re-read the last two chapters to get a feel for where we are in the story. Here's a longer chapter to make up for your wait :)**

 **Big thanks to my reviewers** _ **emelie0204**_ **,** _ **Tya**_ **,** _ **Souless666**_ **and** _ **Bella4evr3**_ **. I appreciate all types of feedback.**

 _ **emelie0204**_ **: Sorry to keep you waiting! I know it's been forever since I've posted, but I was caught up in the real world with my responsibilities. My bad ~**

 _ **Tya**_ **: I didn't mean for it to sound like Dante thought Sam was Lucifer. Dante was pledging his allegiance to Sam, and he said, "...so help me Lucifer" just like someone would say "so help me God." Sorry for the confusion!**

 _ **Souless666**_ **: First off, love the name. Secondly, yeah, I got a bit carried away with my dramatic-ness. I'm a dramatic person (my Beta** _ **Alytiger**_ **gets onto me about that sometimes), and sometimes I feel the need to add an extra dramatic flair. *big smile***

 _ **Bella4evr3**_ **: I'm so glad you love the story! Do not worry; I will continue to slowly but surely finish Boy King.**

* * *

Dean sat behind the wheel of the Impala, his patience wearing thin. Him and Gordon were on their way back to the asylum, but instead of booking it, Dean was sitting outside a gas station as Gordon relieved himself. Dean clenched his hand into a fist. Sam didn't have such a small bladder...

Thinking about Sam did nothing to calm Dean down. Talking to the blonde bitch, Ruby, was both good and bad. Good: Ruby said Sam only killed Bela Talbot because she had a mortal wound in her side. Bad: Sam has more evil locked inside of him than anyone could ever imagine, and Dean could imagine some pretty evil shit. Good: Ruby has been sent back to Hell to get tortured. Bad: the more Sam uses his powers, the more evil he becomes. Good: Ruby can't help with the 'game plan.' Bad: The demons have a 'game plan' that involves Sam.

Dean took a deep breath to calm himself when Gordon finally, _finally_ , came out of the gas station. As soon as the passenger side door closed, Dean sped off, eager to get to his brother.

 _Sammy, you're in a world of trouble, man. I'll be there as fast as I can, but stop using those damned powers!_

* * *

"Did you really think you could kill me?" Sam held the demon in question against the wall. Getting nothing but a glare, Sam continued, "I don't understand why you would try to kill me alone. There have to be other demons besides yourself that hate me. Why not have a group attack me?"

The demon laughed. "Do you really think I'll tell you anything?"

Sam shrugged. "Not really. I'm just curious. Trying to kill me by appearing behind me wasn't smart. I can feel your demonic presence before you teleport in here."

Sam lowered the demon to the ground.

The demon looked shocked. "Why aren't you killing me? I'll just try to kill you again! I'll start an uprising against you!"

Sam put his hands in his jean pockets. "If you wanted to start an uprising against me, you would've already. If you have a better way of killing me, you would've done it the first time. I'm letting you go because you had no plans of _actually_ killing me. You wanted to see how powerful I am, and if I died, that'd be a bonus."

The demon turned and fled down the hallway.

Sam sighed. He really didn't want to rule by fear, but if more demons tried to kill him, he'd have to start exorcising demons or threatening torture.

A loud noise pierced through the silent hallway. Sam pulled out his phone, checked the caller ID, and answered.

"Casey? Hi... No... It wasn't... Yes I let him go... Let me... Fine. I'll meet you at the practice field."

Sam shoved his phone back into his pocket and teleported to the practice field. Casey was waiting there for him.

"Sam." Casey's arms were crossed.

Sam smiled awkwardly. "Hi, Casey."

"Why did you let your _murderer_ go?"

"For him to be my murderer, I'd have to be dead. Besides, nothing bad happened."

Casey looked less angry and more concerned. "Sam, if someone tried to kill the president, they would be tried for treason and die. You can't let something as big as this go."

Sam willed Casey to understand. "I don't want to rule by fear; I want to rule by respect. I can't run an army if I don't have soldiers. Please, just let me do this my way."

Casey sighed. "You're the boss." Casey worried her bottom lip. "Oh, uh, I kept a look out for cases like you asked. I found one." Casey handed Sam a newspaper clipping.

"A psychotic killer that rips victims apart with brute-like ferocity." Sam scanned the rest of the clipping. "No mention of razor-sharp teeth or claws, but it falls around the right time of the lunar cycle; I'm thinking werewolf."

Silence spread between the two as Sam contemplated the hunt.

"If it is a werewolf, I'll have to be fast. The full moon is in two days, and that'll be when it last changes." Sam folded the newspaper clipping and stuffed it in his pocket.

Casey shuffled her feet. "Um, Sam? You won't be bringing backup?"

Sam narrowed his eyes. "I tried working with a demon before. It didn't turn out well."

Casey dared to take a step closer. "I'm not like Ruby! I want to do what's in your best interest, and you getting killed is not in your best interest."

"You think I can't handle a single werewolf?!" Sam glowered.

Casey stood up to her full height, annoyed. "You're going to find a werewolf in _two days_ and kill it? And what if it turns out it isn't a werewolf at all? You only suspect the damn thing is a werewolf. Do you really want to risk innocent lives?"

Sam's expression didn't change. "Risk innocent lives? My entire existence risked innocent lives! If I wasn't born, my mom wouldn't have died, my dad wouldn't have died, Dean would still have both his parents..."

Sam turned away. Dean. He risked everything for Sam, and for what? For Sam to throw it all back in his face and work with - no, rule over - a bunch of demons?

Casey spoke softly. "Sam, if you weren't born, the world would be in shambles. Yes, there were casualties, but what would've happened to the _world_ if you weren't born? How many people have you and your family saved over the years? What would the world look like if you weren't the last man standing from all of Azazel's pupils? Jake would be leading the army to take over humanity right this second. You, Sam, have done far more good than you have bad. All I want to do is help you along the way. One bad beer doesn't mean they're all bad, does it?"

Sam turned back around to see Casey smiling. "Really? A beer joke?"  
"Well I was a bartender for quite some time before you showed up."

Sam shook his head, smiling. "Let's go."

* * *

"I'm Detective Plant, this is Detective Paige. We're from the County Sherriff's Department." Sam flashed his badge.

The man sitting on the hospital bed sat up a little higher. "Yeah, I've, uh, been expecting you."

Sam raised his eyebrows. "You have?"

The man nodded. "All morning. You are the sketch artist, right?"

Casey nodded. "Absolutely. Before I sketch your attacker, would you mind telling us how you got away?"

The man looked at the bedsheets. "I have no idea. I was hiding, and he found me. He was coming right for me, and then he just... stopped. He stared at me with this blank look, and after that he took off running."

Casey pulled out a pen and a small notebook. "Thank you. I'm going to need as much physical detail as possible."

The man itched absently at the slashes above his left eyebrow. "Uh, he's about six feet tall, dark hair..."

"What about his eyes? What color eyes did he have?" Sam asked.

"Maybe... blue? It was dark."

Sam tried again. "Did they seem, um, animal-ish?"

"Excuse me?"

Casey jumped in. "What about his teeth? Notice anything out of the ordinary? Something that could distinguish him from someone else?"

The man wrinkled his brow in confusion. "No, they were just teeth."

"What about his fingernails?" Sam tried again.

"Okay, look. He's just a normal guy, with normal eyes and teeth and fingernails."

Casey put a consoling hand on the man's arm. "It's okay, just-"

"No! It's... Those were my brothers, and I... He killed my brothers. How would you feel?" The man's voice was thick with emotion.

Sam lowered his eyes. "I can't imagine anything worse." He looked at the man in the hospital bed. "I know this isn't easy, but if you can think of any more details, it would really help us catch your brothers' killer."

The man nodded. "There was one more thing: the man had a, ah, a tattoo on his arm of a cartoon character. It was, ugh, what was it? Oh, it was of the Wile E. Cyote."

"Kyle?" A doctor walked in the room.

"Dr. Garrison." The man, Kyle, looked back Sam and Casey. "That was it."

Sam pulled out his badge. "Are you Kyle's doctor? I'd like to ask you a few questions."

"Of course." Dr. Garrison led Sam outside into the hallway.

"So what can you tell me about Kyle's brothers?"

Dr. Garrison shrugged his shoulders. "Not much to say. They were found dead at the scene. I could show you the coroner's report, if that would help."

Sam nodded. "That'd be great."

* * *

Sam and Casey walked along the sidewalk back to the motel they were currently staying at.

"The brother's hearts were still in their chests, but bits of their kidneys, lungs, and intestines were missing. You were right; this is not a werewolf." Sam shook his head. What could it be?

Casey looked at Sam. "We know it's not a demon because you would've felt the demonic energies, so maybe it was... I got nothing."

"Me neither."

* * *

"Back at the hospital again. Is this what you do all the time?" Casey asked.

Sam quickly turned Casey to read the pamphlets at the counter as the local police walked past.

"No, sometimes we exorcise demons." Sam smiled as Casey punched him in the arm.

"Let's go see the victim."

As Sam and Casey walk into the victim's room, they see Dr. Garrison trying to calm her down.

"They drugs may still be in your system. We need to keep you here." He consoled.

The girl pushed at Dr. Garrison with tears in her eyes. "I have arrangements to make, please let me go."

"They can wait. Now, you need to rest." Dr. Garrison helped the girl lie back down. "Stay. I'll be back in a few minutes.

The doctor walked over to Sam and Casey. "Detectives."

"Dr. Garrison, what happened?" Sam asked.

Dr. Garrison looked between Sam and Casey. "That's the big question. The whole town is going insane. My most recent patient was lost in the woods with her boyfriend when an old woman let them into her home, drugged them, and killed her boyfriend. Now, if you'll excuse me..."

The doctor walked past them.

Sam and Casey entered the room. "Ms. Watson? We'd just like to ask you a few questions."

The girl shrunk into her hospital bed. "Do we have to do this again? Now?"

Sam nodded. "We'll try to make this brief. Miss Watson, can you tell us how you got away?"

Ms. Watson nodded. "I didn't eat as much pie as Ken did, so there wasn't as much of the drugs in my system. When the old woman was... carving Ken, I shoved her. She fell and cracked her head on the stove." Ms. Watson sobbed. "She's dead, right? I killed her?"

Casey nodded. "She'll never bother you again. Is there anything else you can remember?"

Ms. Watson nodded. "Yeah, did y'all find a little girl there? I thought I saw her outside the window. She just disappeared, vanished, into thin air. It must've been the drugs."

"This girl, what did she look like? Every detail matters." Sam asked.

Ms. Watson thought for a moment. "She had this dark, dark hair, and really pale skin. She looked around eight. She was a beautiful child; it was odd seeing her in the middle of something so horrible."

* * *

"The EMF is going nuts." Sam told Casey, scanning the window. They were at the house where Ms. Watson and her boyfriend were attacked by the old woman. "It's only at the window, though. This must be where Ms. Watson saw the girl. She's got to be a spirit."

Casey raised her eyebrows. "So this spirit just stood outside, watching the crime take place? Why?"

Sam put the EMF reader back in his jacket pocket. "Actually, I do have a theory. Sort of."

"What's your theory?" Casey asked.

"Well," Sam began, "I'm thinkin' about fairy tales. A guy and a girl, hiking through the woods and an old lady tries to eat them? That's _Hansel and Gretel_. And then there are the three brothers arguing over how to build houses when they are attacked by the big bad wolf. It's a classic _Three Little Pigs_. You see," Sam was really getting into his explanation now, "the original stories written by the Grimm Brothers are like the folklore of its day, full of sex, violence, cannibalism, and that got sanitized over the years and turned into Disney flicks and bedtime stories."

Casey smiled slightly, and then let out a small laugh. "So, what? These murders are a reenactment of children's stories? Doesn't that sound crazy to you?"

Sam shrugged. "Isn't crazy every day of my life?"

Casey laughed. "Touche. But how is this ghost girl involved?"

"Um, I'm not sure, but she must've been here for a reason, and I'm willing to bet she was at the construction site, too." Sam broke into a smile. "Guess it's time for some research."

* * *

Casey met Sam outside the local library six hours later. She did not look happy.

"What did you find out?" Sam asked.

"I looked through the town records, and it seems to have the usual amount of violent deaths of little girls for a town this size, and when I looked to see who had pale skin and dark hair, none of the girls matched the description." Casey rubbed a hand through her hair. "Not even any little girls have gone missing with pale skin and dark hair. What about you, boss?"

"Lilian Bailey was a British medium from the 1930's. She would go into these unconscious states, these trances, where, um, her thoughts and actions were completely controlled by spirits."

Casey looked up at Sam, skeptical. "You think some kid is making these people act out the fairytales like puppets?"

"More like... spirit hypnosis."

Sam and Casey stop as a loud croaking reaches their ears. Looking down, they see a bull frog sitting on the sidewalk in front of them.

Casey wiggled her eyebrows. "Should I kiss 'im?"

Sam shook his head. "Don't do anything that could place you in a fairytale; they don't end well."

* * *

Dean was done trying to be patient. If he had to sit outside the asylum for one more minute...

"Dean, calm down." Gordon's voice grated on Dean's every nerve.

Dean turned as much as he could in the underbrush so he could glare at Gordon. "Calm down? You've been telling me to calm the fuck down for the past twenty minutes, and do you know what calm has gotten me? Huh? Nothing! I've seen _maybe_ one shadow and zero sightings of Sam!"

Gordon took a deep breath. "Dean, do you have any patience?"

Dean's eyes narrowed into slits. "I have patience through the fucking roof, Walker, but if you couldn't tell, we're _outside_. I'll be freakin' calm when I know my little brother isn't out there using his powers and turning evil from the inside out!"

Gordon was about to reply when a noise sounded from inside the asylum. Eyes scanning over the windows, ears straining to hear, the hunters watched silently from the bushes.

"I like the change in command, man."

"Really?"

"Sure. He's the chosen one, ya know."

A snort. "Oooh, the _chosen one_. He was chosen by Azazel, yet you saw what happened to him. Chosen don't mean crap."

Two men stopped by the second story window.

"Hey, at least he's never around. He's always out training or saving some poor town or whatever the crap he does." The demon took a drag from a cigarette.

The other demon shook his head. "It doesn't matter if he's not here; he's a _human_. And like you said, he goes about saving people. Next thing you'll know, he'll order all of Hell to _help_ people instead of coerce them."

The demons started walking again, their voices lost in the confines of the asylum.

Dean couldn't move. New leader. Chosen one. Azazel. Saving people. _Human_. There was only one person the demons could be talking about.

Sammy.

"Still think that brother of yours is a white knight?" Gordon knew who the demons were talking about, too, and it was not helping Dean's case at all.


	30. Chapter 30

**Disclaimer: See chapter 1**

 **Y'all are so great! I really do appreciate the reviews. Here's a longer chapter as a thank you.**

 _ **Bela4evr3**_ **: The reunion between Sam and Dean is really, REALLY soon :)**

 _ **Soulless666**_ **: I know, right? I address their selective hearing in the next chapter.**

 _ **emelie0204**_ **: Thank you! Like I said to** _ **Bela4evr3**_ **, you won't have to wait long for Sam and Dean to meet.**

* * *

Sam stopped walking and pointed to a nearby house. "Do you see that?"

Casey looked at the pumpkin sitting on the porch. "The pumpkin? "

"Yeah. Do you know Cinderella? With the pumpkin that turns into a coach and the mice that turn into horses?"

Casey shook her head. "It could be a coincidence."

Sam gave her a look. "Or it could be the next murder scene. C'mon."

The door opened with a creak. Looking around, Sam heard a noise from deeper within the house. Pulling his gun out, he motioned for Casey to shut the door as he crept towards the sound. A girl's voice could be heard from the kitchen.

"Help! Help, I'm in here!"

Sam turned the corner and saw a blonde girl handcuffed to a kitchen drawer, bruises covering her arms and face.

"Hey, hey, it's okay, we're here; we've got you." Sam consoled and he pulled out his lock pick set.

"You have to help me. She's a lunatic." The girl gasped.

"What happened?" Casey asked, eyes darting around the room.

"My stepmom. She just freaked out, screamed at me, beat me, chained me up." The girl's breathing stuttered.

"Where is she?" Sam asked softly.

"I-I don't know." The girl cried.

Casey pushed Sam's arm. "Sam. Look."

Sam followed Casey gaze to see a little girl fitting their description standing in the hallway. She abruptly turned and walked into an adjoining room. Casey got up to follow as Sam finished getting the blonde girl free.

"Stay here, okay? I'm going to go help my partner look for your stepmother, okay?" Sam stood up and went off to find Casey.

He turned the corner in time to see the girl flash out of existence, leaving only an apple in her place.

"At least we know what the next murder will be based off of." Casey joked. Seeing Sam's glared, she asked, "Not funny? Okay."

Suddenly, Sam's features shifted. "Maybe it's not the next murder. Maybe it's a clue as to whom the dark haired girl is!"

Casey tilted her head to the side. "What?"

* * *

"Sorry. We don't have any comatose little girls here." The nurse told Sam.

He internally sighed. "You sure?"

The nurse nodded. "Totally. It's mostly old guys, and, well, Callie. She's been around since before I started here."

"Callie?" Casey asked.

"Yeah, it's so sad. And poor Dr. Garrison won't give up on her. Callie's his daughter."

Sam asked the nurse where he could find Callie, thanked the nurse, and then led the way.

When Sam and Casey made it to Callie's room, they saw Dr. Garrison reading the Brothers Grimm book to a dark haired coma patient. His daughter.

"The huntsman stepped inside, and in the bed laid the wolf, so the huntsman took a pair of scissors and cut open the wolf's belly." Looking up, Dr. Garrison saw the two standing in the doorway. He put the bookmark in and walked over to them. "Detectives. May I help you?"

"We just heard that Callie is your daughter, and, uh, we just wanted to say how sorry we are." Sam replied.

The doctor nodded. "Thank you. If you'll excuse me-"

Casey fell in step next to Dr. Garrison. "We were headed this way, anyways. We'll go with you. So, how long has Callie been comatose?"

Sam glared over Dr. Garrison's head at Casey, and then apologized. "We don't mean to intrude; we have no idea how hard it must be to see her like that."

"It's, it's not easy. She's, uh, she's been here since she was eight years old." Dr. Garrison looked at the ground.

"That was when she was poisoned?" Sam asked.

"Yes. She swallowed bleach. I could never figure out how she got her hands on the bottle." The doctor sighed. "My wife found her, brought her to the ER. I was on call."

Casey raised her eyebrows. "Was your wife Callie's stepmother?"

Dr. Garrison stopped walking. "Actually, yes. How'd you know that?"

"I had a stepmother, so I had a feeling Callie did, too." Casey lied.

"Julia was the only mother Callie ever knew. My wife passed away last year, and it's just me and my daughter now. She's all I got left." A silence falls between the three. "Um, if you'll excuse me, I've got to get back to work."

After Dr. Garrison left, Casey turned to Sam. "There is no way Callie was poisoned on accident. My only question is, why only start killing people now?"

"Well," Sam began, "I'm guessing Callie has been suffering over all these years in silence because nobody knows the truth, getting angrier and angrier, until finally her spirit starts lashing out in frustration."

"Meanwhile, her dad is reading her the messed up fairytales. That would drive me crazy having to listen to those over and over again." Casey shuddered.

Sam rubbed the back of his neck. "We can't exactly burn the bones. Callie's body is being preserved in the hospital. How do we stop this?"

A gurney passes Sam and Casey quickly.

"Seventy-two year old female. She looks like she was mauled by a mad dog, maybe a wolf? She's critical. BP is 80 over 40 and falling." The EMP told the nurse.

"Sam, what was the last fairytale Dr. Garrison was reading?"

Sam grimaced. "Little Red Riding Hood." He approached the EMP and flashed his bag. "Excuse me; was the old woman the only one attacked?"

The EMP shrugged. "She was found on the side of the road barely alive."

"What about her next of kin?" Sam asked.

The EMP nodded. "She has a granddaughter.

"Do you have an address?"

* * *

Casey sighed. Somehow she was supposed to convince Dr. Garrison his beloved daughter was poisoned by her stepmother and reading stories to her provoked her to play them out in real life. Simple.

Seeing the doctor in question, Casey rushed down the hall.

"Dr. Garrison! I need to speak with you!"

Dr. Garrison turned around. "Detective. What can I do for you?"

Casey took a deep breath. "Well, uh, it's about Callie."

"M-my daughter? What about her?" Casey could tell Dr. Garrison was already getting defensive, and she hadn't even started accusing his wife yet. This was going to be rough.

Looking around to make sure no one was listening, Casey asked, "Could we sit down for a moment? Maybe somewhere more private?"

"No. What about her?" Dr. Garrison was growing more agitated by the second.

Casey sighed. Pleasantries were over, it seemed. "Okay. Dr. Garrison, what happened to Callie was not an accident."

Dr. Garrison took a step back. "Excuse me?"

"I'm sorry, but it's true." Casey wasn't sorry, but it seemed like an empathetic human response.

"You have _no idea_ what happened to my daughter." Dr. Garrison refused to listen to reason, and it was pissing Casey off.

Dr. Garrison started to walk away, so Casey followed. "There are things you don't know, doctor! Things about your wife."

"My wife?"

Casey ran to meet up with the doctor, grabbing his arm and stopping him. "Yeah, your wife. She's the one who poisoned Callie."

Dr. Garrison's face twisted in grief and pain. "Why would you say something so horrible to me?!"

Casey withheld the urge to sigh. Softening her tone, Casey replied, "Because you ignoring this fact is causing a lot of people pain, including your daughter. I need your help to stop these murders from happening."

"You stay away from me, and stay away from Callie." Dr. Garrison walked into Callie's room and shut the door.

Casey let out a sigh of exasperation. Why was he being so freaking difficult?! Casey would love to beat some sense into him, but that wouldn't help her with Sam. Being nice was so _difficult_!

Casey looked around the hall. No one was there. Perfect. She took hold of the door handle and walked into Callie's room. Dr. Garrison stepped in front of Callie.

"I'm calling security."

Casey shut the door. "Like hell you are. Listen, I don't have time to try being nice anymore. My partner is out there right now trying to stop another death, and you're here risking his life because you refuse to listen! Do you want more people to die? No? If we don't do something now, Callie is going to do some serious damage."

Dr. Garrison looked at his daughter. "What the hell are you talking about? Callie hasn't been conscious in years."

"She may not be talking, but she's somehow projecting her spirit and killing people out of frustration because _you_ don't know she was poisoned by her stepmother. Notice the fairytale trend of these deaths? It's because you're reading Callie that fairytale book and she associates her tragedy to Snow White."

The doctor was quiet, staring at Callie, and then he sat down on her bed and held her hand. He looked up at Casey with grief in his eyes. "So you've seen her, too."

It wasn't a question; it was a statement. Dr. Garrison had seen Callie's spirit before.

* * *

Sam slammed the front door open, gun drawn, intent on finding 'Little Red Riding Hood' before she was the next casualty. He did a quick sweep of the foyer, but didn't see any movement. Shutting the door behind him, Sam crept to the living room.

A small girl in a red cloak was hiding behind a coffee table, red slash marks across her left cheek. Sam surveyed the room, and then approached her once he saw it was clear.

"Are you okay?" Sam asked, his gun pointed at the floor.

The little girl nodded. "Yeah, I- AAAHHHHH!"

Sam turned around, raising his gun, when the 'wolf' disarmed him. The other man was about Sam's height, muscular, and... growling?!

Sam's punch was blocked, and then the 'wolf' delivered Sam a punch of his own. Sam ducked, feeling the wind above his head, before he socked the 'wolf' across the face. The blow didn't even slow him down as the 'wolf' grabbed the front of Sam's shirt. Sam delivered blow after blow, but it was ineffective. The 'wolf' continued to push Sam backwards until he threw Sam into the kitchen table.

Sam sat up just in time to see the 'wolf' charge at him. With inhuman strength, Sam was thrown into a china cabinet, where he fell to the ground.

* * *

"I sensed her, I felt Callie's presence. I even thought I saw here standing at the foot of my bed, but I never thought it was real. I thought I was dreaming." Dr. Garrison was gazing thoughtfully at Callie's still form.

"This isn't some dream, Dr. Garrison. Callie's spirit still looks like her when she was eight: white dress, red ribbon in her hair. She's been trying to talk to you for a long time." Casey was so sick of humans. Just accept the fact your wife poisoned your daughter!

Dr. Garrison looked at Casey. "You're not a cop, are you?"

For the love of all that is unholy, this man was slow! "No, I'm not. I'm just someone who knows about this kind of thing."

Still, the doctor was in denial. "What you said about my wife poisoning Callie, that's-"

"Doctor, Callie told me and my partner. She saw us at one of the crime scenes and left behind an apple. I'd really like to think maybe it was a clue about the next murder, but we've already seen it's Little Red Riding Hood! My partner is trying to save a little girl right now, and your thick-headedness is endangering both of them!" Casey was all but screaming. She was so done with this man. Lives were at stake!

"My wife loved Callie, so how, how is that possible?" Dr. Garrison looked close to tears. Casey almost had him.

"I don't know, but it is. Look, Callie is killing people. She is angry and desperate because no one will listen to her. You _have_ to listen to her. You've got to give it a try. Listen to your daughter." Casey was running out of time. Who knows what Sam could be going through right now?

* * *

Sam went spiraling backwards as the 'wolf' slammed his fist into Sam's cheek. The shelf behind him cracked under Sam's weight. Standing back up, Sam kicked the 'wolf' backwards, but it didn't buy him much time. The 'wolf' was back on him in seconds, throwing him yet again across the room. Sam landed in the middle of the living room floor with a hard thud.

Seeing a knitting basket next to him, Sam reached in and grabbed the scissors. As the 'wolf' approached, Sam swung the scissors, trying keeping the 'wolf' at bay.

* * *

"Callie? Callie, it's me, dad." Dr. Garrison spoke softly. "Is it true? Did mommy do that to you? I-I know I wasn't listening before, but I'm listening now. Is there any way you could tell me?"

Eight-year-old Callie appeared by the window.

"Doctor." pointed to Callie's spirit.

Dr. Garrison moved as if to grab Callie's hand, but thought better of it. "Is it true?"

Eight-year-old Callie nodded solemnly.

Dr. Garrison sighed sadly. "Oh, I'm so sorry, baby, but you've got to stop what you're doing, okay? You're hurting people." He took a deep breath to steady himself. "I know everything now; I know the truth. It's time for you to let go. It's time for me to let you go."

Garrison turned to grown-up Callie and gave her a kiss goodbye. Callie's heart monitor let out one long beep as her heart stopped.

* * *

Sam gasped as the 'wolf' tackled him to the ground. His hands pinned, Sam's only line of defense was his feet pushing against the 'wolf's' chest, holding him back. Suddenly, the pressure relaxed and the 'wolf' went flying backwards. Sam leapt to his feet to see the very confused expression of the former wolf.

"W-where am I? What's going on?" The man asked, his voice shaking.

* * *

Sam and Casey were standing next to Dr. Garrison in the hospital lobby, telling him goodbye.

"The little girl's okay?" The doctor asked Sam.

Sam nodded.

Dr. Garrison looked at the floor. "So, it's really over."

"Yeah, all thanks to you." Sam put his hand on Dr. Garrison's shoulder.

Casey stiffened ever so slightly.

"Callie was the most important thing in my life, but I should've let her go a long time ago."

Casey muttered under her breath, "Yeah, that would've helped us out."

"See you around, doctor." Sam said as Dr. Garrison moved to leave.

With a breathy laugh, Dr. Garrison replied, "I sure hope not."

As soon as the doctor was out of sight, Sam turned to Casey. "What the hell, Casey? 'That would've helped us out?' Could you be any more insensitive?!"

Casey's features hardened. "What?! You're going to get mad at _me_?! I got through his thick head that his wife killed his _precious daughter_ to save your sorry ass! You could've told _me_ a thank you, but no! You told the stethoscope with feelings he was the sole reason no one else died today. So I'm _so sorry_ that I was _slightly sarcastic_ towards the person who caused this mess!"

With that, Casey turned on her heels and stormed out of the hospital.

Sam rubbed the back of his neck. What he needed right now was time to himself, away from any drama.

It was time to head back to the asylum.


	31. Chapter 31

**Disclaimer: Supernatural ≠ mine**

 **I'm so excited! It's time for the 'Sam and Dean Showdown' (name taken from** _ **Awerry**_ **'s review of chapter 21). I was just writing and I guess it got away from me because** _ **wow**_ **this chapter is long. Enjoy!**

 **Thank you again to my reviewers! I love hearing from y'all.**

 _ **emelie0204**_ **: Thank you for your continued support of my fic.**

 _ **Bela4evr3**_ **: Here is your much awaited reunion. I hope it lives up to your expectations!**

 _ **Soulless666**_ **: No need to worry; I had no intention of having Casey and Sam become a 'thing.' As we know, Sam can be a bit frustrating to demons, and Casey had to *gasp* be nice to a human.**

* * *

"For the thousandth time, Walker, Sam isn't evil!" Dean was fed up with Gordon's 'Sam is evil' tirade. Hearing the demons talking by the window, of course Gordon only picked up on the fact that Sam is the new leader of the demons, glossing over the fact that Sam is out there saving people.

Gordon put down the knife he was sharpening. "Dean, I am a free man. I can think whatever I like, but I am also a man of my word. I told you when you got me out of prison I would not be the one to kill your brother, so there is nothing to fear from me. My question is: what will you do when you finally catch up with Sam?"

Dean snorted. "What do you think I'll do? I'm going to talk some sense into my brother."

Gordon rolled his eyes. "'Talk some sense into him?' Really? That's the master plan I'm risking my life for? What's the backup plan if that doesn't work?"

Dean narrowed his eyes. "Sam will hear reason."

"Like he did when you tried to talk to him at the devil's gate? Or when you tried to talk to him before he ran off with the demon girl, Ruby?" Gordon went back to sharpening his knife. "I don't mind taking out a few demons, although I'm partial to vampires, but I would like a backup plan for when things go south. And, before you say anything, plans _always_ go south when dealing with the supernatural."

Dean fumed in silence. If Gordon needed a backup plan they would never have to use to make him happy, then fine; he'd come up with a freaking backup plan. "If things go south and Sam decides his new family is-is _demons_ , then we'll have to plan ahead. Let's set up some explosives about ten feet away from the asylum, and if things go south we set off the explosion as a distraction. I don't want the bombs close enough to cause the place any damage because with my luck, we'd cause the place to crumble with us inside."

Gordon nodded. "Let's get to work."

* * *

Dean crept over to Gordon. "That's the last of the explosives."

Gordon pointed to the asylum. "There's movement."

Dean looked up, and Gordon was right. Where before they had hardly seen a handful of demons, now the place seemed to be teeming with them. One demon in particular caught Dean's eye. Black hair slicked back with not a hair out of place, a smug smile on his face, the Asian man got on Dean's nerves. Another demon whispered something in his ear, and the Asian rushed off.

Dean turned to Gordon. "We've got to follow that demon!"

Without waiting for an answer, Dean took off running, watching the windows to make sure he wouldn't lose the demon. He slowed to a stop as the demon stopped outside two large oak doors, smoothing his suit down. As the double doors opened, Dean thanked whoever was listening for the room being on the first floor. Gordon nudged Dean's arm and pointed to a window leading directly into the room. Climbing the vines, Dean listened in on the conversation in the other room.

* * *

Sam sighed as he sank into his chair in the main hall. He never thought he'd say this, but it was good to be back in the asylum. All he needed now was some peace and quiet...

The double doors opened and Dante walked in. He knelt to the ground. "My liege."

Sam sat up in his chair. So much for peace and quiet. "Stand up, Dante, and please don't kneel to me. I'm no king. What is it?"

Dante stood up and straightened his suit. "I have been keeping the headquarters in order while you've been gone, and it seems several demons have issues with you being the new leader."

"That is to be expected. I am only a human." Sam eyed Dante; it looked like something else was on his mind. "What else is it? You're not telling me something."

Dante shuffled his feet, and then squared his shoulders. "I've talked with Alistair, the head torturer, and he has told me some interesting things from Ruby."

Sam stood up. "Ruby? Why would I believe anything she had to say?"

"Sir, Ruby says you are not 'only human.'"

Sam froze. In a low voice, he asked, "Why would I believe anything _she_ has to say?"

Dante met Sam's gaze. "Alistair does not allow lying. His methods are very precise. Ruby says you are-"

"Is there anything to back up her claim besides faith in a demon's ability to torture?" Sam interrupted.

Dante nodded. "Yes, sir. It was prophesized. It has been spoken of for years, and it makes sense now why Azazel took such an interest in you. You are the Light Bringer's true vessel."

"I-I am _what_?" Sam took a step back and grabbed a pillar for support.

Dante nodded. "You are meant to hold our Lord, Lucifer. Do not worry, sir, for only Alistair, Ruby, me know the truth." Dante's face contorted with worry. "Oh no, Lilith knows, too."

Sam's brow furrowed. "Who is Lilith?"

Dante's features hardened. "She's the first demon. The first human Lucifer corrupted, and she's very powerful. She also happens to be the leader of the rebellion."

Sam could hear his blood pounding in his ears as his adrenaline spiked. His senses were heightened. He was hyperaware of all the demons in and around the building. Sam could even feel the animals. A squirrel hung out on the roof, a raven sat on a tree branch, and over by the side of the asylum...

Sam's blood ran cold. "Dante, I need all demons on red alert. There are two humans lurking outside the asylum. I want to know who they are, and I want them brought here. Unharmed."

Dante nodded. "Yes sir."

As Dante turned to leave, Sam called out, "And Dante? Don't tell anyone what you told me today."

Sam started pacing as soon as the doors closed behind Dante. He had a weird feeling he couldn't discern about the humans. One made him feel comforted, yet the other screamed danger. Who the hell were those guys?

* * *

Shit. Shit shit shitshitshitshitshit. This was bad. This was so bad Dean couldn't think of a strong enough word. All along Gordon had been right; Sam wasn't human. Sammy, his geeky little brother, was the vessel for the freaking _devil_. To make matters worse, he just sent a demon search party after them. How did he even know they were out there? Probably a perk of being evil. Wait, no. Don't think like that. Sam is still Sam. Once they talk, this will all be sorted out.

Gordon grabbed Dean's arm. "Dean, I don't know about you, but I'd rather not be caught by demons right now."

Dean yanked his arm back. "Walker, this is exactly what we wanted! Get inside and talk to my brother."

Gordon's eyes widened. "How can you still call it your brother?! You heard it as clearly as I did: Sam's not human."

The sound of rustling around them stopped whatever rebuttal Dean had. Both hunters went back-to-back, surveying the area. Yes, Dean wanted to talk to Sam, but old habits die hard, and there was no way he'd let some pansy ass demon haul him there.

Dean stared down the girl who was walking towards him

"Oh, thank goodness you're here! My car ran out of gas and I was hoping you could help me."

Dean narrowed his eyes. "You're going to have to go back to acting school, sweetheart, because you don't make a convincing human."

The girl's eyes flashed black. "So, you're a hunter I take it?"

Dean snorted, and then stepped out of the tree's shadow. As he stood in the late afternoon sunlight, the girls took a few steps back.

"You're _his_ brother!" She said in disbelief.

With the demon's exclamation, the other demons made themselves known, closing in around Dean and Gordon. They were completely surrounded.

Dean smirked. "Wow, I didn't realize I had such a big fan club."

Dean heard shouting and turned to see Gordon held between two demons. He turned to see another demon in his face. "If you don't shut up and start walking, Winchester, I'll make you walk."

Dean protested as two demons grabbed his arms as well. "I can walk myself! You're actually doing me a favor; I wanted to see Sam anyways. Who knew demons would help out a human? Well, I guess it shouldn't surprise me so much when you guys have a human as your lead - oof!" Dean gasped as he was punched in the gut.

"I said shut up." The demon growled.

* * *

Sam could feel them coming closer. His adrenaline was through the roof and his heart was thudding almost painfully in his chest. A demon was about to teleport in. Ugh, now is a _really_ bad time.

Casey appeared next to Sam. "Sam, you will not _believe_ who was outside! It was-"

The double doors swung open and Sam had a clear view of just who was outside earlier.

"Dean." Sam breathed. His brother wrenched his arms free from the demons' grasp and looked up to see Sam. His face was a mix of both happiness and worry. On Dean's left, Sam saw none other than Gordon Walker, the man who tried to kill him with not one but two grenades.

"Sammy. You're okay." Dean took a step forward only to be stopped by a demon. "Let me see my brother! Tell 'im, Sammy."

Sam didn't move. "Dean, why are you here? And why would you be working with Gordon Walker? Do, do you not remember what he tried to do?" Sam couldn't keep the anger out of his voice. Dean, his brother, the one who he THOUGHT cared about him, was working with the man who tried to kill him.

"Nice to see you, too, Sammy." Gordon smiled evilly.

Sam stiffened. "It's Sam, and I'm not talking to you, Walker, so shut up. I still haven't forgiven you for trying to kill me."

"Sammy." Dean pleaded.

Sam turned to Dean. "You have some explaining to do, Dean." Looking to the demons in the room Sam said, "Go guard the door and don't let anyone in. I don't care what their reason is." When Casey didn't move, Sam glared. "Get out, Casey."

Casey huffed. "What? I'm not some low-level demon, Sam. I'm-"

Sam cut her off. "That's another thing. Dante has enough respect to address me as 'sir.' I'm not your little puppet, Casey. I'm in charge, and I was under the assumption you wanted what's best for me."

Casey sputtered, "I do, but-"

"But nothing! What's best for me now is for you to leave this room. NOW."

Sam turned back to the two hunters in front of him as the oak doors shut. Gordon looked utterly bored, as he always does, while Dean had a look of shock on his face.

"Sam?" Dean took a tentative step forward.

Sam relaxed, if only slightly. "I'm so glad they're gone."

Dean relaxed and moved to give Sam a hug.

"Don't." Sam's tone was hard again. "Explain yourself. What are you doing here and why the _hell_ would you work with _him_?"

Dean stopped in his tracks. "I needed a bit of help tracking you down, and he was the only option I had. I've been searching for you so I could bring you home. You don't belong here with the demons."

Dean's answer sounded scripted; there was no real emotion tied with it. Sam's eyes widened. "You don't believe that, do you? You really do think I belong here."

Dean's face dropped. "No! Sam, I - no. That's not it at all. I just - you see, the thing is, I overheard..." Dean trailed off.

Gordon was more than happy to finish what Dean was unable to say. "We heard what the demon said, Sam. We know you're not human."

Dean quickly added, "You're still family, Sam. You're still my brother, and I wouldn't trade you for the world. We can get through this together."

Sam squared his shoulders. "I can't leave, Dean. This is bigger than you could ever imagine. I have control over every demon ever. This is huge! I could do some real good in the world; I already have. The demon who took mom? Who killed dad? I killed him. He's gone. Not just sent back to Hell, but really, truly gone. I've been out hunting, saving people. I won't leave, especially with someone who betrayed me."

Dean tried to make Sam see reason. "Sam, you can do more good away from these demons than you can with them! They are corrupted souls. We overheard some demons saying they didn't like having a human ruling over them this morning. Someone will stab you in the back, sooner rather than later. I know you don't want to leave with Gordon, but we can ditch him as soon as we high tail it out of here."

Sam took a step forward, using his height to his advantage. "Gordon never betrayed me. He didn't pretend to be my friend. _You_ betrayed me, Dean. _You_ decided to work with Gordon, who, by the way, should be in jail right now. _You_ were eavesdropping on my private conversation. _You_ had me tied to a chair to be interrogated while the Seven Deadly Sins hunted me down! I almost believe you're only here to fulfill dad's last words."

Sam was becoming more riled up as he went on. He knew his brother so well; he could almost hear what he was thinking.

 _Dad said I'd either have to save Sam or kill him if he became evil_.

Wait, Sam really could hear Dean's thoughts! This must be a new power.

 _Why would Sam think that? Sam isn't evil._ My _Sam isn't evil, at least._

Sam stopped listening to Dean's thoughts. So that's what his brother thought of him.

"Sam, I-"

"I've heard enough from you, Dean." Sam snapped. Without another word, he teleported from the room.

* * *

Dante stood at attention when Sam teleported next to him. "Sir."

Sam started to pace. "I have a problem, Dante. They overheard our conversation, and now either Dean or Gordon or both could tell others and I'll be hunted by friend and foe alike." Sam stopped pacing. "What do I do? I don't want to kill them, but I have no guarantee they'll keep this to themselves."

"Well, with the resources you have, it would be no problem for me to arrange for them to be put into a cell in Hell."

Sam shook his head. "What are my other options?"

Dante sighed. "Sir, I'm going to be frank. There aren't many options open to you. You have imprisoning them so they physically cannot tell another soul, there's killing them, which you already objected to, and the last option may not be possible. You'd have to find a way to swipe or change their memories."

Sam rubbed his hands down his face. This was a pick your poison deal. He didn't _want_ to imprison his brother, although Gordon deserved all the jail time he could get, but the other option - besides death - was to erase or alter their memories? That just didn't sit well with Sam.

"Okay Dante, I need you to walk in with four other demons, each holding chains. Dean and Gordon need to be cuffed and brought down to the cells, but they will not, _will NOT_ , be tortured. I need a demon who won't blab to guard them; they might try to get out by letting my secret out. I know Gordon will." Sam added the last part under his breath.

Dante nodded. "Yes sir. Did you want to see your brother one last time before my men go in?"

See Dean? What would he say? Hey, I don't trust you anymore so I'm imprisoning you? Have fun in the freaking dungeon? "No. Inform me when they're secure."

* * *

"SAM!" Dean yelled again. He had to find his brother. Where the hell did he go? Hell, maybe. Stop thinking like that! No wonder Sam doesn't trust him; somewhere deep inside him, Dean is skeptical. He really needed to talk this through with Sam. "SAMMY!"

The double doors opened and the demon Dean followed earlier walked in followed by four other demons. This did not look good, especially since the demons had chains with them.

"Looks like the monster is showing his true colors." Gordon muttered. Turning to Dean, he half-smirked. "I guess it's time for that backup plan."

The demons were quickly approaching. Dean had to make his choice, and fast. "Light it up."

Gordon reached into his pocket as a demon grabbed Dean's left arm. A loud explosion sounded to their right, and Dean's arm was dropped.

"Move!" Gordon shouted.

Dean and Gordon rushed to the open double door, only to be stopped in their tracks by an unseen force. Dean heard chuckling from behind him.

"Did you really think you could get free?" The smug ass demon Dean had followed earlier asked. He walked into Dean's line of sight, and seeing him this close only made Dean hate him more.

"Did your meatsuit always have a stick up his ass, or only after you occupied it?" Dean smirked. Two demons came over and started to cuff his unmoving body as Stick-Up-His-Ass glared Dean down.

Regaining his composure, Stick-Up-His-Ass smiled. "Dean, I appreciate your humor. Really, I do. It's the only thing keeping you from completely breaking down since your brother has forsaken you. You must've realized by now that he was the one who ordered you to be locked up. I do so hope you hate your cells; I picked them out myself."

With that, Dean and Gordon were teleported to their cells, where they were shoved unceremoniously to the ground. Fighting the wave of dizziness from being teleported, Dean sat up in his cell. The smell, paired with his vertigo, made Dean sick. Leaning over, he emptied his stomach onto the floor.

"That was pleasant." Gordon's dry voice sounded from the cell directly across from Dean's.

"Shut. Up." Dean growled.

"Shut up? Shut up? You're telling _me_ to shut up? After all this time, who was right?" Gordon waited for a reply, and, upon not receiving one, he continued. "After everything, who was it who said getting captured by the demons was a bad idea?" Again Gordon was met with silence. "I don't think _I_ should be the one shutting up. That is reserved for you. You lead us into this mess, so for once let me speak."

Dean slid across his cell to the far wall. He hoped beyond reason they wouldn't be there for too much longer for several reasons: there was no toilet, bed, or anything else in the cell, he didn't do so well staying in a single place for too long, the smell was horrible, and Gordon was bound to be spouting his 'I told you so' crap for the rest of their stay. Death would be preferable to this, although that was probably the point.

"The next time a demon walks in here, we'll need to be ready. You taunt the demon and have it come close you your cell, and when it gets close enough, shove it towards me. I'll grab the keys and we can get out of here." Gordon smiled. "You should have no trouble pissing a monster off. It's all you've done today."

* * *

"Sam, erm, I mean sir, you mustn't worry over this." Casey had watched Sam pace back and forth for the past two hours. It was not good for his health to replace sleep with worry, and Sam had already been up for about thirty-seven hours straight because of the fairytale hunt.

Sam stopped pacing and faced her. "Don't worry? Everything I've done has been to help the world out, yet not even my own brother can see that? I'm going to be hunted by every hunter out there, even the ones who used to know me. But, nah, don't worry. We can just throw them all in the dungeon, is that right?"

Casey frowned. "That is not what I meant. When we first met, I told you I wanted to see you succeed. I told you I believed in you. That hasn't changed. You chose not to kill them, and although I have no idea _why_ you would choose to keep them alive, I know you had a good reason. If you're so worried about what your brother thinks of you, why don't you send for him and y'all talk it out?"

Sam mulled over what Casey said. She was right. What they needed was to sit down and talk about what had happened since this all started.

"Send someone to get my brother."

Sam sank down into his chair and sighed. He was not looking forward to this meeting, but it had to happen. Sam just hoped it would end better than their last conversation.

* * *

The sound of footsteps echoed through the dungeon. Dean and Gordon were on their feet in seconds. They shared a look, and then waited for the demon to come into view. They didn't have to wait long.

A woman with straight, long black hair walked into view. She had on a red sweater which accented her large chest and skinny jeans which did the same favor for her ass. Her brown cowboy boots made a sharp click as she walked. All in all, this demon was a babe.

She stopped outside Dean's cell. With a coy smile, she gave Dean the once-over. "I have to say, Dean, you are not a sight for sore eyes." She had a southern accent which made her all the more attractive, though Dean would never say it out loud.

"How's this fair? You know my name but I don't know yours?" Dean gave her a smile of his own. Maybe he could flirt his way out of here.

The demon waved her hand and Dean's cell door swung open. "I'm Casey. Come with me, sugar."

Dean could not believe his luck. This chick just gave him the opportunity to grab the keys and escape! Acting quickly, Dean lunged at Casey, only to be thrown against the wall.

"You know it's not nice to hit a lady." Casey shook her head. "Where are your manners?"

The invisible force holding Dean to the wall disappeared, and he fell to the ground with a thud.

"C'mon, Dean. You've got a very important meeting to attend." Without another glance back, Casey sashayed down the hall, hips swaying back and forth.

* * *

Sam had a spare chair and a small table brought in, deciding sitting down would be better when he and Dean talked it out. Sam was sitting in his chair when the double doors opened and Casey walked in with Dean.

With a flourish of her hands, the chains unlocked from Dean's wrists and ankles. "Call me if you need me!" Casey called as she left the room.

Dean approached the table and sat down. Rubbing his wrists, Dean looked back at the closed doors. "You have a hot secretary."

A smile tugged at Sam's lips. Of course Dean's head would be in the gutter. When was it not?

"She's not my secretary, but she was a bartender when I found her." Sam watched as Dean thought that through. Hot girls and alcohol were his favorite things, besides pie, and it didn't take long for a lewd expression to cross his features.

Dean's face grew serious. "Sam, I know you didn't call me here to talk about banging your not-a-secretary."

Sam nodded. "I thought it'd be best if we talked about what has happened since Azazel, the yellow-eyed demon, came to me. At the ghost town, he came to me in my dream. The whole point of him bleeding into babies' mouths was to have them fight in the ghost town until only one was left standing. That person was to become the leader of the demon army. I was the last person standing."

Dean shook his head. "I already know this part. You told me while we were on our way to meet Bobby at his truck." Dean paused, remembering how he felt when Sam ditched him that day. "You didn't have to do what he said."

Sam smiled sadly. "He threatened to kill Ellen, Bobby, and you if I didn't leave you and head to the devil's gate. I had to go. The cost wasn't worth it."

"The cost? What about the cost of your humanity, Sam?"

Sam was taken aback. "Dean, you said so yourself when you first learned of the demon blood that if anyone could fight off the evil, it'd be me."

Dean rubbed the back of his neck. "Sam, this is not fighting the evil. This is working hand-in-hand with the evil."

Sam tried to keep the hurt out of his voice. "Just let me finish explaining."

Dean waved him on, leaning back in his chair.

Sam continued. "So I met Azazel after I left you, and he said if I lead the demon army I could stop anything from hurting you. But if I didn't open the crypt, you would die. So I went to the crypt and opened it. You know what happened then. After Azazel teleported me away, we came here. I started to hone my powers. I thought if I got strong enough I could eventually kill Azazel. I was right, Dean. I killed Azazel with my powers."

Dean leaned forward, his voice full of pain. "Why didn't you leave after he was dead? Why not come back to me?"

Sam sighed. "It's not that simple. I can do a lot of good here. My first real hunt was the Seven Deadly Sins. Taking them out helped a lot of people."

"Yeah, and it also made you leave me again. I talked to Ruby earlier, and she said that's where you met her. You chose a _demon_ over me, not only once, but twice." Dean crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"The two hunters you and Bobby were working with wanted me dead!" Sam tilted his head to the side. "When did you talk to Ruby?"

Dean shrugged "A couple days ago. She tried to get me to get to you, but me and Gordon trapped her and interrogated her, and then we sent her ass back to Hell."

Anger laced Sam's voice. "Why did you start working with him?"

"I had emptied all my reserves, Sam. He was the only one who could help me find you."

"He tried to kill me!"

"And I had him promise not to hurt you when we found you!"

"Oh, well that makes it all better! He _promised_ not to hurt me! Take him on his word; he has no grudge against me at all! What the hell, Dean?!" Sam was working himself up again. This was not how this conversation was supposed to go. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Sam lowered his voice. "Dean, I cut Ruby out of my life when I thought she was using me. It was _my_ decision. I know working with demons seems bad, but I'm actually saving people and stopping deaths."

Dean wasn't trying to hide his anger. "You could do that with me! It's our freaking _family business_! Are you trying to say demons are your family now?"

Sam furrowed his brow. "No! Dean, I'm not saying that at all! Why won't you listen to me?"

"I _am_ listening to you, Sam, and the more I listen, the more excuses I hear."

Sam had enough. "Damn it, Dean! Why won't you try to see this from _my_ perspective for once? I've been worried about how you would react this whole time, but I told myself you would understand because I'm trying to better the world, putting someone else's needs before my own. I didn't realize you would be too thick-headed to listen to me!"

A silence fell upon the room. The brothers glared at each other.

 _Why is Sam being so difficult? He used to listen to me. I guess the demons are influencing him, now. Or is it his demonic powers talking?_

"Get. Out." Sam growled. "If I ever see you again, I will treat you like every other monster I come across."

Dean was shocked. "Sam-"

"GO!" Sam yelled. With a snap of his fingers, Dean was teleported to the road outside the asylum.


	32. Chapter 32

**Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural**

 **I want to apologize for not posting in so long, but I just haven't been feeling it lately. Hopefully y'all still remember what the storyline was. Enjoy!**

* * *

Confused. Hurt. Furious. All these emotions rattled through the oldest Winchester's head as he stood on the side of the road. His conversation with Sam was less than ideal, and it definitely didn't bring the two closer together.

"Damn it!" Dean yelled in frustration at nothing in particular. He had half a mind to storm back in there and demand to see Sam again, but the other half of his mind stopped him. Dean was not calm enough to talk to Sam right now. In fact, Dean had the urge to kill something.

A loud ringing made Dean jump. Rolling his eyes at himself, Dean pulled out his cell. "What?"

The gruff voice on the other end of the line sounded annoyed. "Is that any way to talk to me, boy?"

Dean sighed, rubbing his hand through his hair. "I'm sorry, Bobby. I've had a rough time so far."

"Have you any idea what I've been going through?! This is the first time in three months you've picked up one of my calls! Don't get me started on having a 'rough time.'" Bobby sounded pissed, but Dean could hear the underlying worry lacing his voice.

"I'm really sorry, Bobby. It's... I've... Um..." How could he explain everything that's happened, including losing Sam?

"Spit it out, son."

Dean took a deep breath to steady himself. "I found him, Bobby. I found him, and I messed everything up. He kicked me out."

Silence.

"Bobby? Say something, anything. I don't know what to do. I want to barge back in there and try to speak to Sam again, but I also want to gank something. I can't talk to Sam pent up like this."

Finally, _finally_ , Bobby spoke. "It's a good thing I called, then." Bobby's voice sounded tight, restrained. "I have a hunt for ya."

* * *

 _Ypsilanti, Michigan_

"My, uh, daughter and I were in our beds, Mike was downstairs decorating the tree, and I heard a thump on the, the roof, and I heard Mike scream, and now I'm talking to the FBI." The blonde woman pursed her lips together, trying to keep it together.

Dean wasn't in the mood to pretend to care. "And you didn't see any of it?"

"No. He was, he was just gone." The woman's arms were folded in front of her as if they could shield her from the terrible memory.

"The doors were locked, there was no forced entry?"

The woman nodded. "That's right."

Dean wrote in his notes. "Does anyone else have a key?"

"My parents."

"Where do they live?" Dean's voice was short, clipped.

"Florida."

Dean shut his notebook and stuffed it into his suit's pocket. "Thanks Mrs. Walsh, I think I got everything I needed. We'll be in touch."

As Dean turned to walk down the steps, Mrs. Walsh called out to him.

"Agent!" Dean turned around. "The police say my husband might've been kidnapped."

Mrs. Walsh was obviously looking for some solace, but Dean had zero fucks to give her.

"Mrs. Walsh, your husband was not kidnapped; he was murdered."

She took a step back, hand flying to her heart. "It's three days 'til Christmas. What do I tell my daughter?"

Dean shook his head and tried to put an empathetic look on his face. "I'm very sorry."

He turned and walked away, not caring how Mrs. Walsh took the news. While surveying her house, Dean had found a tooth in the chimney. Whatever took Mr. Walsh didn't take the fat guy up in one piece, and Dean had to figure out what it was. Off to research more on this serial killing chimney sweep.

* * *

Dean could not believe his eyes. Santa had a freaking _brother_. Guess everyone has issues with their sibling. From what Dean had looked up, Santa's brother had gone rogue and instead of giving gifts at Christmas time he punishes the wicked. Anti-Clause was one shady son of a bitch. Freaking guy's a pimp, too. Has a limp and smells like candy. Wait, what was Dean even thinking? Santa doesn't have a brother. Santa's not real. The lack of sleep must be messing with his head. Dean needed a drink.

A light flickered in Dean's tired mind. He remembered something. Something that both Mr. Walsh and the other victim in town had done before they died. They had visited Santa's Village.

* * *

Ten bucks. Ten bucks to get into stupid Santa's village and they don't even have fake snow. What a freaking rip-off. Walking past the stubby trees and stubbier people, Dean found "Santa" with a kid sitting on his lap. Guy gave Dean the creeper vibe. As the kid got up, "Santa" stood up and limped past Dean. Limped. Leaving behind a scent of sweet goodness. Freaking Anti-Clause!

Dean followed the creep back to his trailer and doubled back to grab his car. Parking the Impala next to some trees by the trailer, Dean leaned his seat back and settled in for a stake out.

The sound of faint screaming woke Dean up. He wasn't sure what time it was, but it was black out, so it must've been at least one in the morning. The woman screamed again. Dean busted out of the Impala and sped like a bullet to the trailer. Barreling through the door, Dean sees the TV on, which explains the woman's screams, and Saint Nicotine jumping off the couch. Hiding his gun, Dean tries to school his features.

"What are you doin' here?" The smell of alcohol is strong on his breath.

Thinking as quickly as his newly awakened mind allows him, Dean starts to sing. "Siiiilent niiight. Hooooly niiight." His voice was way off key, and he wasn't sure exactly what the words were after that, but at least the drunken sod bought it. Laughing, not-evil-santa sat back down as Dean fled out the door.

* * *

"So that's how your son described the attack? 'Santa took daddy up the chimney?'" Dean had barely gotten three hours of sleep when another reported attack was brought to his attention. Couldn't this killer Santa at least wait until Christmas to kill people? Dean needed his sleep.

"That's what he said, yes." The newest widow crossed her arms over her chest. Apparently that's what all sad women do.

"And where were you?"

Now her hands were on her hips. Feisty. "I was asleep." Now her arms are crossed again, and she withdrew into herself once again. "All of a sudden Al was being dragged out of bed screaming." Tears formed at the edges of her eyes. She's a crier. Great.

"Did you see the attacker?" Dean asked somewhat softly.

The widow shook her head quickly. "It was dark, and he hit me. He knocked me out."

Yeah, Dean could tell. The bruise on her right eye was quite the shiner. "I'm sorry, I know this is hard. I'll keep you updated."

Dean walked back to the impala and sunk into the familiar leather seat behind the wheel. No hex bags, no sulfur, no signs of the usual suspects. What the Hell was killing people?


	33. Chapter 33

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Supernatural world or its characters. Just borrowing!**

 **Hello again! It has been a while since I've posted here. I've been busy writing "Phantom Traveler AU." To be honest, I was going to wait until I finished my other story to start writing "Boy King" again, but** _ **Shadowpletlove**_ **wrote a review asking for more, so here it is!**

 **Another big thanks to** _ **Bella4evr**_ **and** _ **Souless666**_ **for your continued support. I'm not the best at posting quickly, so I appreciate your patience with me. (I answer** _ **Souless666**_ **'s question this chapter, so watch out for that!)**

* * *

Dean pulled up to the motel, shut off the Impala, and leaned back in his seat, rubbing his hands over his face. What a long day. Once Dean left the last widow, he spent the rest of the day in the library looking up anything and everything he could on kidnappings around Christmas. Nothing turned up for Michigan, but after branching out, Dean found out two abductions had happened in Seattle of last year, and, looking further back, other abductions had also been reported for the last few years, each year in a different state. Whatever was killing people had been moving locations so it wouldn't get caught. Smart.

Dean opened the driver side door and slowly climbed out of the Impala. Checking his phone, Dean sighed. 11:27 PM. All Dean wanted to do now was flop onto his ratty mattress and fall into a deep sleep. Hell, even a half-assed attempt at sleep would be nice right now. Dean took the stairs, cursing all the way for having a room on the second floor. Finally reaching his motel door, Dean paused, the key in his hand. Something didn't feel right. Shrugging it off, Dean unlocked the door and stepped inside.

A movement to his left was all Dean registered before the world went black.

* * *

The first thing Dean registered was pain. He had the world's worst headache, and the fucking Christmas music wasn't helping. Why the fuck was Christmas music playing? Opening his eyes, an array of Christmas decorations came into focus. A gingerbread house, scented candles, and Christmas-themed cups and pottery assaulted Dean's vision. It was enough to make him want to vomit.

A sickeningly sweet voice sounded from behind him. "Oooh, and here we were thinking you would sleep straight through the fun stuff."

A plump old lady came into view, her cheeks rosy and white hair curled about her shoulders. Her Christmas sweater matched the one the man who followed her was wearing. He had picture perfect teeth, and he had an unlit pipe in his mouth. The whole thing was straight out of a Hallmark movie.

"Miss all this? Nah, I'm a partier." Dean eyed the two carefully, trying to assess what they were.

"Isn't he a kick in the pants, honey?" The man turned serious. "You're a hunter; That's what you are."

Dean smirked, determined to show no fear. "You know what I am, but I don't know what you are."

The woman smiled. "We're Pagan Gods, dear, but the folks around here know us as the Carrigan's."

"Why'd you have to start eating people?" Dean snarled.

"Oh, well we used to take a hundred tributes a year, and that's a fact." Mrs. Carrigan smiled, placing a napkin under Dean's right hand. "Now what do we take, two? Three?" She directed the question at her husband.

"Scamp here makes four." Mr. Carrigan pointed at Dean with his pipe.

Mrs. Carrigan nodded. "now, that's not so bad, is it?"

Dean couldn't believe these people. They wanted him to be okay with people dying? "Well, when you say it like that I guess you guys are the Cunningham's."

"You, mister, better show us a little respect." Mr. Carrigan raised his eyebrows reproachfully.

"Or what?" Dean challenged. "You'll eat me?"

"Not so fast. There's a... ritual to be followed first." Mr. Carrigan put the pipe back in his mouth.

Mrs. Carrigan shivered in excitement. "Oh, we're just sticklers for ritual."

"And you know what kicks off the whole shebang?" Mr. Carrigan pulled out his pipe again. Dean wanted nothing more than to shove that freaking pipe down that freaking Pagan God's throat. "Meadowsweet."

Mrs. Carrigan placed a wreath around Dean's neck. "There! Don't you just look darling."

Mr. Carrigan winked. "Good enough to eat. Alrightyroo, step number two." Mr. Carrigan whipped out a curved, sharp knife. Carrying that and a small wooden bowl over to Dean, he cut into Dean's forearm. Blood flowed out of the wound and into the wooden bowl.

"You son of a bitch!" Dean cursed.

"You hear how he talks to us? To Gods?" Mr. Carrigan tutted. "Now, back in the day we were worshipped by millions."

"Times have changed!" Dean growled, trying to ignore the burning pain in his right arm.

Mr. Carrigan carried the bowl back to the table. "You don't have to tell me about it. All of a sudden, this Jesus character is the hot new thing in town! All of a sudden, our alters are being burned down and we're being hunted down like common monsters."

Putting some herbs into the wooden bowl, Mrs. Carrigan added, "And did we say a peep? No, no, no we did not. _Two millennium_. We kept a low profile and got jobs, a, a mortgage. What was that word, dear?"

"We assimilated."

"We assimilated. Why, we play bridge on Tuesdays and Fridays. We're just like everybody else."

Dean though that was _rich_ coming from the woman who was about to _eat him_. "You're not playing it as smooth as you think, you bitch."

"Ooh, what language! Someone owes a nickel to the swear jar. Do you know what I say when I feel like swearing? Fudge." Mrs. Carrigan pointed the knife at Dean on the last word, an unspoken threat. Not that it could get much worse for him right now.

"I'll try to remember that." Dean said through clenched teeth.

Mr. Carrigan brought pliers over to Dean. "You don't know how lucky you are. There was a time when people would come from miles around to be sitting where you are."

"If you fudgin' touch me again, I'll fudgin' kill ya!" Dean's heart rate picked up. What the hell were the pliers for?!

"Very good!" Mrs. Carrigan praised. Dean ought to kill her for that, but he was a bit tied up at the moment.

Mr. Carrigan smiled and grabbed Dean's right hand. Using the pliers, he pulled off one of Dean's fingernails. Dean screamed as the nerves in his hand fired off. His head fell back against the chair and he focused on his breathing to distract from the pain.

"We've got a winner!" The nail went into the wooden bowl along with the blood and herbs.

Mrs. Carrigan mixed the ingredients together. "What else, dear?"

"Let's see, fingernail, blood..." Mr. Carrigan hit his head with his palm. "Sweet Peter on a popsicle stick! I forgot the tooth!"

Picking up a different pair of pliers, he approached Dean.

"Merry Christmas." Dean muttered to himself.

"Now, open wide and say ah." Mr. Carrigan held Dean's jaw open as he put the pliers inside. Dean screamed as one of his molars was literally ripped from his mouth. The pain was too much to handle, and Dean passed out.


	34. Chapter 34

**Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural.**

 **Thank you** _ **Souless666**_ **and** _ **Shadowpletlove**_ **for the reviews!**

* * *

Previously on Boy King:

 _Why is Sam being so difficult? He used to listen to me. I guess the demons are influencing him, now. Or is it his demonic powers talking?_

"Get. Out." Sam growled. "If I ever see you again, I will treat you like every other monster I come across."

Dean was shocked. "Sam-"

"GO!" Sam yelled. With a snap of his fingers, Dean was teleported to the road outside the asylum.

* * *

Then:

Sam picked up the table and threw it across the room where it crashed into the weapons cabinet. Dante popped in a second later. He knelt on the ground, his head lowered.

"My liege." Dante stood up and clasped his hands behind his back. "I am at your service. What do you need?"

Sam was breathing heavy, adrenaline pumping through his veins. "I need a case, a hunt. I need to hit something. Now."

Dante looked concerned. "Sir, you haven't rested any since your last hunt. With everything that's going on, a hunt is not the best thing for-"

"And what would you know about the best for me, Dante? Huh? You're just a demon, and sooner or later you'll betray me just like everybody else."

Sam flopped into his chair and put his head in his hands. He was fully prepared to have a knife stabbed in his back or for Dante to call all the demons in to see how weak their leader was, but none of that happened. Instead, Dante placed a hand on Sam's shoulder.

"Sam." Dante's voice was soft. "My allegiance lies with you; I will not ever betray you. You may not feel like it now, but you are the strongest man I know. I believe you're lashing out because of what happened with your brother." Sam tensed. "I thought so. In that case, what would you have me do?" Dante's voice was back to its usual professionalism. "It's clear you're not locking your brother back up in one of the cells, so do you want to place a bounty on his head? Give the order to kill him?"

Sam sat up and shook his head. "No, I don't want him dead. He's my brother."

Dante pursed his lips. "Well, if you don't want to kill him I would recommend at least having a demon trail him to make sure he doesn't tell anyone about you. The last thing we need right now is a pack of hunters prowling around here."

Sam rubbed the back of his neck as he thought about Dante's idea. Have a demon trail Dean? It couldn't be just any demon; they're prone to taking things too far or slipping up and getting caught. It would have to be someone he trusted, but there weren't any demons Sam trusted except...

"Dante, I want _you_ to trail Dean."

Dante's eyebrows rose in shock. "M-me, sir?"

Sam stood up and smiled. "Yes, Dante. You. There's no other demon I would trust with this mission." Sam's smile disappeared, and his voice became more menacing. "But do NOT engage. You are there to watch, not to help out on tricky hunts. Dean's capable of getting out of just about any situation, and I don't want him catching onto the fact that he's being watched."

Dante schooled his features. "You can count on me, sir. I'll leave immediately after I find a new meatsuit. Your brother has already seen me once, and I wouldn't want him to recognize me."

Sam shooed Dante away. "Get on it, then! The longer you wait the harder it'll be to find Dean."

After Dante left the main hall, Sam called Casey to his side.

"Yes, sir?" Casey glanced at the broken table Sam had thrown across the room earlier.

Sam used his height to look that much more intimidating. "I want to know everything you can find out about the resistance. Why it formed, who's a member, where it's based at, everything. I want a full report by morning."

Casey gave a low bow. "I'll get started right away, Sa- sir."

With that, Casey popped out of the room.

Sam rubbed his hands over his face. Ugh, he was worn out. Dante was right, he needed to rest. Sam teleported back to his room and started to get ready for bed. Change clothes. Check. Brush teeth. Check. Lay a precautionary salt line in front of his door. Check.

His nightly routine done, Sam finally laid down on his bed. Just as he was about to drift off into the sweet nothingness of sleep, Sam realized today was the first day Dante had called him 'Sam' since he took over hell.

* * *

Now:

Dante was shocked. He had never imagined _this_ happening. Dean had been taken hostage by two Pagan Gods and was currently being interrogated. They had already taken one of his fingernails, and Dean was not looking too good. Dante wondered if he should try to intervene, but this was above him. He couldn't fight off two _Gods_! And even if he wanted to, his superior had told him not to engage.

Dante watched as the man walked up to Dean with pliers in his hand, and he knew he had to stop it. He ran up to the front door and rang the doorbell.

The woman answered the door. "Hello?" Her face immediately lost its cheer. "What do you want, _demon_?" She sneered.

Dante shifted his feet, very uncomfortable. He didn't expect to be recognized. "My dear Goddess, I was curious as to what you want from the human inside. I didn't see it all, but that was quite the interrogation you had going on. Ripping off his nail? You must want something very badly." Dante couldn't see the man or Dean from the front door, so he didn't know what was going on.

The woman smiled, and her voice was light. "Well fudge, we aren't interrogating that hunter. We are getting ready to eat him. Taking a nail and tooth are just a part of the ritual, and we are just sticklers for ritual. Now run along before you get hurt."

The door shut in Dante's face. Shit. Dean was getting _eaten_?! Dante didn't know the hunter very well, but he was sure there was no way he'd get out of this one. Dante ran back to the kitchen window and peered inside. How much time did he have left to come up with a plan?

The kitchen was empty. If Dante had to guess, Dean was moved into the basement while the woman answered the front door. Time had run out for Dean Winchester.


	35. Chapter 35

**Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural.**

 **Big thanks to** _ **Shadowpletlove**_ **and** _ **Souless666**_ **for your reviews!**

* * *

Dante teleported back to the Asylum with less than preferable news. As if the Lord's vessel wasn't already a mess, now Dante had to report to him that his impulsive, half-witted excuse of a brother had gotten himself killed.

Spotting a figure walking down the corridor, Dante popped over to them.

"Casey." Dante smirked. "Where are you off to this late at night?"

Casey grimaced. "Ugh, it's you. Look, I'm off on official business given to me by Sam himself, so back off."

Dante bristled. "Don't casually call our leader by his first name!" Casey shrunk a bit. "Do you know how disrespectful that is?! Not to mention how speaking of him so casually will undermine his importance and add numbers to the resistance."

Casey perked up, a smug expression on her face. "I was entrusted to get information on the resistance. I have a private meeting in the morning with Sam, so if you would excuse me, I've got more important things to do than talk with the likes of _you_."

Casey pushed past Dante and continued down the hallway.

Dante pursed his lips in thought. Hmmm... He _did_ recommend for the Lord's vessel to get some rest...

Dante grinned evilly to himself. He knew _exactly_ what time he wanted to give Sam _his_ report.

* * *

"The resistance was formed in response to you taking power after killing Azazel. The demons who chose not to pledge their allegiance to you are almost all in the resistance in some way. Some are more committed to the cause than others, but the general reason one or another demon joined was because the demons would rather fight for the spot as leader than listen to a human."

Sam resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He suspected as much. "Where's the resistance based at?"

Casey smiled, obviously waiting for that exact question. "This is where I had to be extremely careful. It took a lot of effort not to be detected, ya know-"

The doors to the throne room opened, cutting off the rest of Casey's explanation. Dante swiftly walked through the doors and in front of Casey.

He knelt to one knee. "My liege, I have terrible news."

Casey's face turned red with fury. "This is outrageous! I was-"

"Silence." Sam sat up straighter in his seat. "Casey, you are dismissed for now."

"B-but..." Casey stuttered.

"Out!"

Casey turned and all but ran from the room, the doors shutting behind her.

"Dante, what happened to my brother?" Sam's voice was soft, almost pleading. His eyes were full of sorrow, as if he already knew what Dante was going to say.

Dante stood and put on his most empathetic face. "I am very sorry to report this, but your brother has been killed."

Sam's face lost any semblance of emotion. It was blank, eyes staring off into space. Dante guessed he wasn't prepared for the worst, then.

The silence that followed was deafening.

Dante cleared his throat. "Sir..."

Sam's eyes locked onto Dante. "Did you get his bones?"

Dante was puzzled. "B-bones, sir?"

Sam's expression changed ever so slightly. It was harder now.

"Did. You. Get. My. Brother's. Bones?" Each word was harsh and accented.

Dante swallowed the lump in his throat. What was the importance of a human's bones? A demon's original bones could be burned to kill the demon, but why a human's bones? They're useless.

The look on Sam's face said otherwise.

"N-no, no sir." Sam's eyes hardened even more. Dante was quick to backtrack. "BUT I was explicitly told not to... That is to say, I couldn't... You see, I did try... He was held hostage by these two Pagan Gods... I couldn't take them out on my own..." Dante trailed off as Sam stood up.

"Dante." Sam walked up to the smaller man. "I am leaving in an hour. I need as much demon blood as possible, and if you can't find me what I need, I'll _drain you_."

Sam snapped his fingers, and Dante found himself in the hallway outside the throne room.

He had to acquire demon blood, and fast.

* * *

Sam slowly slid back into his chair and took a deep breath. Dean was dead. Dean got into a sticky situation and didn't have Sam with him to get him out of the mess. Sam doesn't even have Dean's bones.

"Casey." At Sam's call, Casey appeared in front of him.

"Sir." Casey's eyes roamed the room as she offered a small bow, and, upon not seeing Dante, she relaxed.

"Finish your report."

Casey gave a curt nod. "The resistance is based in hell itself, which makes sense because you're based outside of hell..." Casey trailed off awkwardly as Sam glared at her, his patience gone. " _Anyways_ , the leader of the resistance-"

"Lilith."

"Um, yes... Lilith preaches to her supporters about your inferiority because you were born human and therefore aren't strong enough or worthy to rule the legions of hell." Casey finished her report by quickly adding, "Not that I think that!"

Sam thought back to what Alistair had learned from Ruby. "Do you know of any other things she's saying about me?"

At Casey's nod, Sam's heart sunk. "Lilith is telling the demons you are unfit to lead ruthless demons because of your human tendencies, and she gives the example of letting the man in the dungeon live on with minimal torture and allowing your brother to-"

Sam's hand snapped out; Casey's voice stopped as she felt an invisible force choking her neck.

"Do NOT talk about my brother. Your report is finished; leave and make sure everyone else knows not to mention him EVER." Sam dropped his hand, and Casey fell to the ground, coughing.

As Casey scurried away, Sam popped down to the cells. He needed to blow off a bit of steam before he went to collect his brother's bones.


	36. Chapter 36

**Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural.**

 **Hey guys, I'm taking a Hiatus as I think about where to go with this story. I was trying to write the next chapter and realized I was just forcing myself to write instead of feeling the story and enjoying what I wrote. I wasn't happy with the outcome, and so I will be taking a break to try and rethink the story.**

 **Feel free to comment whether I should end it in a few chapters or keep the story going. I have plans for both and your input would be much welcomed.**

* * *

Blood adorned the walls of the cell, some of it old, most of it new. The screams that had echoed through the halls of Limbo finally ceased. A lone figure walked out of the cell, blood splattered on his clothes. His hands dripped dark red.

A demon was next to him in a moment.

"Sir, what shall I do with the body?"

The man's voice was clipped, sharp. It left no room for error. "Burn it."

"Yes sir."

Sam Winchester left the demon to deal with the carcass as he made his way to his room. He wanted to clean up so he could make a good first impression with the Pagan Gods. After all, it will be their one and only meeting with him.

* * *

Dante fixed his tie for the tenth time as he waited in the throne room for his Lord's vessel to return. His last conversation with the vessel wasn't on the best of terms, and considering Sam Winchester's track record with the last couple of demons he didn't like...

"Dante."

Dante turned to see his Lord's vessel standing by his throne, arms crossed in front of his chest.

He offered a low bow. "Sir. I have brought you the blood you requested."

Clapping his hands twice, Dante cued the demons outside. Two demons in suits dragged a bound demon into the throne room. She was unceremoniously thrown to the ground and thus abandoned as the two demons left, shutting the double doors after them.

The demon slowly stood up and snapped her bindings. She rubbed her sore wrists before looking up.

"Sam." Ruby smirked. "What a pleasure to see you again. Oh, wait. No it's not. You'll understand that I don't like you right now, right? After all, you did send me to _Alistair_." She sneered the torturer's name. Ruby's next statement was stopped before it ever started as she clawed at her throat, gasping for air.

"You want me to drain _her_? You know our history." The vessel was holding his hand up towards Ruby. He was choking her.

Dante quickly defended himself so as to not be next. "Sir, that's exactly why I chose her. She lost your trust, you sent her away to be tortured, and she knows your secret. If you drain her of all her blood, you'll not only be getting the strength you need, you'll also be killing off a huge thorn in your side."

The vessel seemed to contemplate Dante's words, mulling them over. He finally dropped Ruby to the ground where she lay gasping for air.

"I'll be leaving immediately after I finish. You're in charge until I get back."

Dante gave a slight bow. "I'll serve well in your absence."

Dante looked up to see the double doors outside the throne room. His Lord's vessel had kicked him out.

* * *

Sam threw the empty vessel to the ground with hardly a glance. He could feel the power pulsing through his veins. Sam was ready.

Sam teleported to Dean's body. He could feel the other Winchester in the house, but the living room he was standing in had only Christmas decorations and furniture. No Dean. Sam could feel a power behind him.

"Well fudge! It looks like we have a visitor, dear." A sickly sweet voice sounded from Sam's right. He turned to see one of the Pagan Gods standing in the doorway to what looked to be the kitchen. The other Pagan God appeared next to her, a pipe in his mouth.

"A visitor? I didn't hear the doorbell ring. Who are you, scamp?" The smiles were all fake. The pleasantries were all fake. They were fake. Sam could see straight through them, but apparently they didn't know who he was.

"I'm looking for someone. Someone you crossed paths with." Sam glowered at the Pagan Gods. "I'm looking for my brother."

The Gods looked at each other and back at Sam. "Well, golly son. I didn't realize you were a hunter. I would've kept out our ingredients." The man teleported behind Sam and hit him over the head. Sam didn't so much as blink.

"Where's my brother?" Sam turned around and grabbed the Pagan God by his throat. "Where are my brother's bones?"

The other sweater-clad God furrowed her brows. "Put him down! Don't you know who you're messing with?"

Sam stopped her in her tracks with a glare, his powers holding her in place. "Don't you know who _I am_?" Sam snapped the neck of the Pagan God in his hands like it was a twig. "I can feel my brother close by, but I can't tell from where." Sam looked at the body at his feet. His temper rose. "You've eaten everything, haven't you?"

The woman sputtered. "W-we... It's tradition to..."

Sam saw red. He teleported behind the remaining Pagan God and whispered in her ear, "I'd say it was nice meeting you two, but, in fact, it wasn't."

He snapped his fingers and blood started to pour out of the Pagan God's eyes and ears. She didn't even have time to scream out before she fell to the ground, dead.

Sam teleported out of the house and waved his hand dismissively at it. The entire house was engulfed in flames. Sam watched the hungry flames devour the house in minutes. The other houses on the block were left unscathed.

By the time the fire department arrived, the flames had subsided. All that was left was the mailbox by the street.


	37. Chapter 37

**Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural.**

 **Hey guys, I'm back! I decided to finish Boy King before coming back so there would be no more hiatuses (is that the right spelling?). So this fic will now update once a week until its completion! I hope y'all enjoy reading, and I'm so sorry for the long wait.**

* * *

Dante watched as the Lord's vessel paced around the room in frustration. His footsteps echoed softly off the walls.

"My liege-"

The vessel spun around on his heel, his eyes shooting daggers. "What, Dante? What could you say that could _possibly_ make me feel _any_ better? My brother is dead, and I wasn't even there to back him up! I didn't see if he went out 'guns blazing' like he always wanted to go. I didn't see if he felt any pain." The Lord's vessel sunk into himself. "I wasn't _there_. I... I let him down." The Lord's vessel's eyes turned steely again. He squared his shoulders. "But, you know what? You didn't even have the presence of mind to tell me _earlier_ that he had died. I had an interesting conversation with Casey when I got back from _burning my brother's bones_ , and she told me you came back _yesterday_. You didn't tell me immediately when my brother died. Why the hell did you wait so long to tell me? Why the hell didn't you tell me when my brother was caught by two _Pagan Gods_ so I could've gone and helped him _before_ he died? I told you not to engage, but that didn't mean you couldn't have told me he was in trouble! There's a lot I have done wrong in this world, and there's a lot I've done wrong to Dean, but his death isn't on me."

Dante's head was in a whirlwind. What to respond, must respond quickly, can't think of anything, shit shit shit... Wait.

Dante held his hands up as if to shield himself from the vessel's wrath. "My liege, you were supposed to be _resting_. I didn't want to upset you when you were supposed to be gaining your energy back from your last hunt. I-"

Dante dropped to the ground, his last words caught in his throat. He couldn't talk. He couldn't breathe. This type of grip wasn't restricting air flow; demons don't need air to live. This type of grip was crushing the demon in the meatsuit little by little. Dante futilely clawed at his neck, but he knew it was too late. If the Lord's vessel didn't want to keep him around, there was no way for Dante to overcome his power. He was done for.

The pressure was alleviated, and Dante fell to his knees, gasping. He managed to choke out, "w-what?"

The Lord's vessel was staring at... nothing. Dante turned to see what he was looking at, but there was nothing there but a pillar.

Suddenly, Dante was thrown across the room where he slammed against a wall. His eyes were open wide in surprise. What the hell just happened?

The Lord's vessel spit out one word, and that one word sent shivers down Dante's spine.

" _Lilith_."

* * *

Sam didn't move as a blonde woman stepped out from behind the pillar, her white dress blowing from not wind, but the intensity of her power.

Lilith smiled at Sam. "Sam, it's so nice to finally meet you face-to-face. I'm a big fan of yours."

Sam laughed mirthlessly. "We both know that's not true. You are the head of the resistance to overthrow me."

"Oh, but you have it all wrong. I only want to help you. You are just doing things the wrong way." Lilith slowly walked towards Sam. "You should embrace your little _secret_."

Lilith was inches away from Sam, but he didn't feel threatened. He stood still as she started to circle him like a lioness circles her prey. "You should humbly accept Lucifer into your little meatsuit so he can have a chance to come out and play."

Sam laughed. "And why would I let the freaking devil out into this world? I'm trying to _help_ this world, not kill it."

Lilith laughed. "You live such a _boring_ life. Saving people? No matter how many people you save, thousands more will die." Lilith stopped in front of Sam, her lips pursed as if in thought. "Unless... Well, if you had the almost limitless power of the devil inside of you, you could do anything you wanted. You could stop any hunt with the snap of your fingers. You could ensure no demons ever kill another human or create deals with them. The resistance wouldn't exist because no one would even think of undermining our _God_."

Lilith flipped her hair over her shoulders. "Oh, well. You choose." With a wink, she added, "you know how to find me," and teleported out of the room.


	38. Chapter 38

**Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural.**

* * *

Sam was a statue. He couldn't move as Lilith's words floated through his head.

 _No matter how many people you save, thousands more will die... limitless power... no deals... resistance wouldn't exist... God..._

The way Lilith was talking, it seemed as if Sam wouldn't be taken over if he accepted Lucifer's power.

Wait. What was he thinking? Lilith is a _demon_. More than that, she is the leader of the resistance trying to undermine his authority. Why would Lilith have any reason to tell Sam the truth?

Sam glanced over at Dante's still form slumped against the wall. Should he continue to kill the demon that betrayed him or should he get some information out of him?

Sam snapped his fingers. The double doors opened and two demons walked in.

"Take Dante down to Alistair to learn his lesson about withholding information."

The two demons took a frightened Dante and disappeared into the depths of hell.

Sam sighed as he felt another demon about to teleport in. What now?

Casey appeared in front of Sam on one knee. "Sir."

Sam rolled his eyes. "What is it Casey? I'm not in the best of moods right now."

Casey stood up. "There is talk amongst the resistance about a coup. They are actively planning to overthrow you as we speak."

Sam laughed mirthlessly. So much for Lilith promising she wanted to help him. Her visit was merely a means to lower his guard.

Casey looked concerned. "Sir, this is no laughing matter. Their forces are quite powerful. At your current power level, you cannot take on all of them at once."

Sam shook his head. "That bitch. She thinks she can force me to do what she wants by using her followers?"

"S-sir? Are you okay?"

"What?" Sam looked up at Casey. Looking back on what he said, Sam realized he must seem crazy right now. He could use this. "No, I'm not okay. I want you to tell everyone I am starting a war with the resistance. I am sick and tired of those demons undermining my authority! I am the King of Hell. Lilith is nothing to me. _Nothing_. Her power is laughable. Spread the word. Let every demon know. Let word get to the resistance so they know how incredible fucked they are."

Casey's look of concern deepened. Good. She thought Sam had completely lost his mind. "Are you sure you want to-"

"Yes! I have never been so sure, Casey. My brother is gone. I cannot accept the fact that he is dead until the resistance is dead as well."

Casey bowed. "As you wish."

Sam smiled to himself as Casey teleported out. He couldn't wait to see what mistakes the demons would make once they thought he had fallen off the deep end. The true colors were about to come out, and Sam would see who is actually loyal to him.

* * *

The demons stood in shock as they waited for their leader to react. Lilith's smile wavered.

"W-what? He said WHAT?!"

The messenger demon shrunk in fear. "Th-the word in h-hell is th-that the B-boy King declared w-war on us..."

The demons weren't sure as to what was going on in Lilith's head. Her eye twitched. Her smile sunk. Her entire demeanor changed. Was she scared? Was she pissed? A little bit of both?

Lilith started to cackle, an eerie, inhuman cackle that sent shivers of fear down the spines of all demons present.

"He's gone out of his mind challenging me like that. Who does he think he is? Being Azazel's _Boy King_ doesn't give him any credibility. His powers are still developing. To a demon like me, he's hardly even an infant. Sam Winchester, you've got yourself a war." Lilith smirked as she gazed around at the crowd of demon around her - no, below her. "It is time for our resistance to gain some momentum! We cannot let that human stand tall any longer! He must be put in his place! In order to show that fake king where the real power lies, we are going to wage war against heaven!"

The demons all sneered. Destroy heaven? Don't mind if they do.

* * *

Lilith sunk against the alley wall, finally alone. She put her hands in her lap to stop them from shaking. As much of a brave face as she put on for her subordinates, Lilith had to admit to herself that she was bloody terrified. Sam Winchester was waging war on her? Now? Why? Lilith thought she had given him a damn near perfect argument to join her side, but now the Lord's vessel was committed to destroying her? This can't happen yet; it's far too early.

Damn. Because of Sam's actions, Lilith had to start the plan too soon. She wasn't ready yet. Hell, she wasn't even sure if hell could take on heaven during this time of civil war. Lilith needed a Plan B and fast.

The payphone at the end of the alley started to ring, causing Lilith to jump. Shit. Why was she so jumpy? She was Lilith, the first demon, for fuck's sake. She stormed over to the payphone and nearly tore the headset from the base.

"Who is this, and why are you calling a freaking payphone?"

The person on the other line chuckled. "You are more fiery than I've heard, Lilith."

Lilith froze, her anger replaced by caution. "Who is this?"

"My name is Zachariah, and I'm here to help."

"Zachariah? As in, the angel?" Lilith rolled her eyes. "Just try and smite me. I dare you. You have no power over me, so stop the charade."

The voice lost all mirth. The tone was tight as it responded, "I am not here to fight you, although I'm _sure_ heaven could deal with a worthless _demon_ such as yourself - but that's not why I called. I want to help you break the seals to release Lucifer."

"You _want_ to release Lucifer? You?" Lilith laughed. "Sure."

The voice was strained, as if it was hard to keep a pleasant tone of voice. "It has been prophesized that Lucifer would rise again and have the ultimate fight with Michael, so yes, I would like to help that prophesy become a reality. I cannot wait any longer because the first vessel is now _dead_ , and I'd rather not lose the backup vessel we have until after the fight."

"It sounds like we have matching agendas. I'm in. Let's break some seals and release the devil."


	39. Chapter 39

**Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural.**

 **I'm so sorry for this being such a short chapter, but I felt it was the best place to stop it. Please don't hate me, and I'll see y'all next week** **:)**

* * *

 _One week since the Boy King declared war against the rebellion._

Sam massaged his temples as he sunk deeper into his chair. The demons following him did _not_ want to start anything with the rebellion, and they had no qualms about bringing it up. Sam had not anticipated this turn of events. He expected bloodshed and attempted assassinations, not grievances and dirty looks. All Sam needed was a quiet evening all to himself.

Sam felt a demon about to teleport in. Like rain during a picnic, it was an unwanted surprise.

Casey popped in front of Sam. "I have urgent news! Lilith is leading the rebellion to the surface! She's trying to start a full-scale war with heaven!"

Sam blinked owlishly at Casey. Her black hair was slightly ruffled and her chest was rising and falling quickly. Casey was scared.

"Why would Lilith want to do that?"

Casey looked at Sam like he was crazy. "Does it matter _why_?! This is apocalypse-level shit and you want to know _why_?"

Sam's expression didn't change. "Yes. I want to know why. What does she gain by attacking heaven? Actually, backtrack. By heaven, do you mean angels and God?"

Casey scoffed. "God? Please. That loser hasn't shown his face since he locked our Lord Lucifer away. But there are most definitely angels and archangels. Bless their hearts; they believe they are the _saviors of the Earth_ when all they do is sit in their offices upstairs." Casey rolled her eyes. "They're more like glorified paperweights if you ask me."

Sam's eyebrows rose slightly. Angels were real, apparently. His brow furrowed. Where the fuck were these angels when his brother was being eaten alive? Where were these dicks with wings when Sam was forced to work with Azazel or else everyone he loved would die? Where the ever loving FUCK were these so-called 'saviors of Earth' when his mom and his girlfriend were being burned on the ceiling?

Sam leaned forward in his chair. "Where's Lilith?"

* * *

Lilith smiled as she turned to see her newest visitor. "Sam. How nice of you to drop by. What can I do for you?"

Sam was not amused. "Why are you starting a war with heaven?"

"Whoever told you that?"

"Cut the crap. There's no way you have enough man power to take on both me and heaven at the same time, so what's in it for you? You must know that none of my followers want to start a war with you, but even then they will follow my orders."

Lilith looked up as if the ceiling had the answers. Her eyes slowly slide back down to meet Sam's. "Maybe, _Samuel_ , I just want to create a little bit of havoc. I am a demon, after all. I'm not starting a war with heaven; I'm creating hell on earth for them. The angels have these little rules, and I'm having my demons break these rules. If the angels get their little wings in a twist, that's just a perk." Lilith raised an eyebrow. "Why, Winchester? What's it got to do with you?"

Sam clenched his hands into fists by his sides. "Demons screwing me over I can understand. I expect it. _Angels_ screwing me over is just a slap in the face. My brother and I did everything in our power to save people throughout our lifetimes, and what did the angels do when we were in danger? What did the angels do to stop me from allying with Azazel? What did the angels do to stop Dean's death? Nothing. They sat back and let Dean die, so in my eyes those angels can screw themselves."

Lilith was no longer smiling. "Sam," she said cautiously. "What are you saying?"

Sam squared his shoulders. "If you're giving the angels hell, I want to help."

* * *

The figure didn't so much as flinch as yet another heart-wrenching scream tore through the air. The bowels of hell were as horrible as ever. It's no secret why demons always try to wreak havoc on earth: they hate hell as much as anyone else.

Alistair turned towards the figure as it approached. "My, my, my. To what do I owe the pleasure?" He rasped.

"Is it done?"

Alistair smirked. "Straight to business. I wonder what happened... Fine. Yes, it is done. It was no easy feat, but I liked the challenge."

"Good. You may do whatever you like with your newest pupil." The figure turned sharply on her heel, ignoring the wicked smile of Alistair as he walked over to one of the racks. Alistair nodded encouragingly as John Winchester carved into the soul on the rack in front of him.

A righteous man had shed blood in hell. The first seal had been broken.

* * *

 **Can y'all guess who this mysterious figure was? PM me or comment your guesses in a review! I'll put the answer at the beginning of the next chapter.**


	40. Chapter 40

**Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural.**

 **In answer to the previous chapter, Lilith was the figure who visited Alistair. Please keep in mind that this is an AU, so even though John didn't break in the TV show (Dean did), I took a little liberty as the author.**

 **In order to make up for the shorter chapter last time, I made this chapter a wee bit longer. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it! Please review and let me know what you think.**

* * *

 _6 months later_

Sam wiped his hands on a white cloth, staining it red. The bodies around him were still, wings burned into the ground around each corpse.

Heaven was underestimating Sam more and more nowadays. They only sent a handful of angels to stop the breaking of the last rule. It was almost as if heaven was halfheartedly trying to stop him.

Sam looked up as a demon approached. The demon was all smiles.

"The mission has been accomplished, sir. This last se- uh, _rule_ , has been broken."

The demon eyed Sam as he picked up an angel blade.

"What are you waiting for? We can't let anyone else get their hands on something as precious and dangerous as these."

The demon flew into action, collecting the remaining blades.

"I want those in the weapons cabinet in the main hall by the time I get back. If any of them are missing..." Sam let the threat hang in the air.

The demon blanched. "Y-yes sir. I-I mean, n-no sir. I-I mean-"

"Just get out of here."

Sam teleported to a certain junkyard near Sioux Falls, South Dakota. A familiar worn ball cap bounced slowly into view. Sam smiled to himself as crash, followed by a loud exclamation of "BALLS," was heard.

Bobby cursed to himself as he viewed the damage. His tools were scattered all over the dusty junkyard. Fucking tree root made 'im trip. Bending down, Bobby began to pick up the tools strewn all about, offering the occasional curse as his old joints protested the new position.

Sam leaned against the tree next to him, watching the older hunter quietly. He had been visiting Bobby quite a lot lately. Was it because Sam was waging war with heaven and believed his life was in danger? Laughable. Angels are nothing. Was it because Sam felt more nostalgic for the 'good old days?' Probably not. Sam lost all hope for nostalgia when Dean died. Was it because Sam felt guilty about working with demons and worried for Bobby's safety? More probable, but not entirely it.

Sam wasn't quite sure why he had been visiting Bobby, but it was always like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. It felt good to see him living his life even if Sam wasn't a part of it. Sam's visits were never known to Bobby, but that was okay. If Bobby saw Sam, he'd want answers, and answers were something that Sam could not give him.

Sam watched Bobby walk the now-full toolbox back to the shed. As the door to the shed shut, Sam teleported away.

Bobby glanced out the window and sighed. He didn't know how Sam did it, but he was gone again. Damn it, why didn't the boy ever let him know he was there? There was no way in hell that Bobby would turn the boy away, no matter what he had done in the past. Sam was his family, and Bobby would be damned if he caused the poor boy anymore grief.

Bobby had wards all around his house, so he always knew when someone walked on his property. The first time Sam had shown up, Bobby damn near had a heart attack. He wasn't sure what Sam's intentions were, but it soon became apparent that Sam meant him no harm. All he wanted to do was check up on him. So for every visit following, Bobby just pretended Sam wasn't there. Of course, today was a surprise. The junkyard had been quiet, so Sam's sudden appearance had startled Bobby so much that he dropped his tools. It's a good thing Sam didn't realize it was because of him. If he did, Bobby was sure he'd never show up again.

Whatever that boy was doing, Bobby wanted him to feel welcome. Sam was a good kid, after all.

* * *

"Sam needs to be killed. Now." The demon pleaded with Lilith. "He's already gone past his usefulness. You know he won't approve of what you're trying to do, so just get rid of that one loose end."

Lilith sighed. "Joseph, I can't do that."

Joseph pressed his point. "You can't be serious? Do you really think he's so powerful? He's naïve; kill him when he least expects it! You cannot break the final seal and free Lord Lucifer if he is still around!"

"What?!" Joseph turned around to see a furious Winchester standing in the doorway. "You're going to be doing _what_?!"

Joseph's eyes widened. "S-sir! W-why are you back so early?"

"What the hell do you mean you're freeing Lucifer? What the hell have I been doing these past six months?"

Lilith raised her hands in defense. "Now, Sam, listen-"

Sam turned on her. "Listen? _Listen_? Why would I listen to your sorry excuse? It'll just be more _lies_ , but I guess I should've expected this."

"I couldn't just _tell_ you. You're a buzz kill."

"A _buzz kill_?! Are you serious right now? You're freeing the freaking _devil_ from his prision made by _God_ , and you-"

"God?!" Lilith laughed without mirth. "God _abandoned_ the earth. He isn't even worth the dirt He created. I'm doing him a favor. I'm taking his favorite angel out of timeout, and there's nothing you can do to stop me. All those 'rules' you had been breaking to annoy the angels? Yeah, those were seals that held the locks in place on our Lord's prison. All I need to do is break the final seal, and he is free. There's nothing you can do now, Sam. You are as helpless now as you were when Dean died."

Sam saw red. He reached out a hand and started to burn Lilith from the inside. She started to convulse, her meatsuit moving of its own accord as the demon inside struggled to get out. Sam's nose started to bleed, but he ignored it.

 _Push harder. Kill her. Stop this madness from happening._

Lilith stopped convulsing and laughed. "Ha! You aren't strong enough to kill me! How are you gonna save this sorry world now?"

Sam reached out and telekinetically dragged Joseph over. Placing one hand on his shoulder, Sam drained Joseph of his demonic energy and focused that energy on killing Lilith. The convulsions started again, harder this time. Her eyes rolled back into her head. Her demonic energy burned orange as it was destroyed, highlighting the skeleton of her meatsuit. Lilith's meatsuit dropped to the ground in a heap. All of her demonic energy was gone. Lilith was dead.

Sam's knees buckled out from under him. His head was pounding; blood flowed freely from his nose. Sam blinked as his vision went blurry. When did he lie down? Sam watched as the blood flowed across the ground seemingly with a mind of his own. Why was the blood moving? Was the ground slanted? Did Sam have a concussion?

The last thing Sam saw before the darkness overtook him was a bright flash of light.


	41. Chapter 41

**Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural.**

 **Thank you so much for reading** _ **Boy King**_ **! I sincerely hope y'all enjoyed reading along with me. This is the FINAL CHAPTER, so it's the last time I see y'all (unless you read my other stuff ^** 3 **^).**

 **I want to offer a thanks to my Beta,** _ **Alytigger**_ **, who has helped encourage me to write and has helped with my writer's blocks.**

 **And a huge thanks to YOU for reading** _ **Boy King**_ **'til the end, and I hope you enjoy the ending!**

* * *

 _Sam_.

Sam opened his eyes with a start. Did someone call his name? He turned over in bed and smiled at Jessica's still form. Leaning over, he kissed her on the neck. She turned over onto her back and locked eyes with him.

"So, this is your life now? You think you can just live forever playing King? You think you've changed enough to use your power for good? Your power stems from evil, Sam."

Sam looked down, letting Jessica's words sink in. He looked out from under his bangs at her, pleading her to understand. "I love you, Jess." Sam sat up and turned away, unable to look her in the eyes any longer. "God knows how much I've missed you, too. But you're wrong. People can change. I can use what used to be my curse as a way to help people."

Sam felt the bed shift as Jessica sat up. "No, Sam. They can't."

"H-how can you be so sure?"

A man's voice responded, "Because you freed me."

Sam turned to see Jessica gone and a man sitting in her place. He stood up and backed away slowly out of fear.

"That's right. You know who I am."

"Lucifer. What do you want from me?"

Lucifer stood up and took a step towards Sam. "Thanks to you, I get to walk the earth. I want to give you a gift. I want to give you everything."

"I don't want _anything_ from you." Sam spat out.

Lucifer crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm so sorry, Sam. I really am. But you know that this vessel is only Plan B. It can hardly contain me without spontaneously combusting. You are my true vessel."

"You need my consent"

"Of course. I am an angel."

Sam squared his shoulders. "I'll kill myself before saying yes."

Lucifer rolled his eyes. "I'll just bring you back." He sighed. "Sam. My heart breaks for you. The weight on your shoulders. What you've done. What you still have to do. It is more than anyone could bear. If there was some other way... but there isn't."

Sam looked down in surrender. How could he stop the devil from possessing him? It was the all-powerful _devil_. Maybe... It was a long shot, but Sam had to hope it would work.

Sam looked Lucifer in the eyes. "Fine."

"Wait, what?" Lucifer raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Fine. I'll be your vessel. I consent."

Lucifer smiled. "Atta boy. I knew you were a good kid, Sam."

With a flash of light, Sam felt something intruding into his body.

* * *

Sam opened his eyes. Well, _Sam_ didn't. They opened of their own accord. What was happening? Sam watched as he was teleported into his headquarters at the asylum. Casey met him at the double doors.

"Sir, I heard you were-" Her eyes grew wide. "My Lord!" Casey dropped to her knees.

Sam's mouth smiled. "There's no need for that," Sam's head felt like it was going to split open as it was probed, "Casey."

Casey stood up. "Should I gather the followers?"

Sam's head gave a quick nod, and Casey disappeared.

 _What the hell was going on here?_ Sam thought.

"Why, Sam, don't you remember?" Sam's body asked.

Sam jumped, or he would've if he had control over his body.

 _Lucifer?_

"That's right. If you're a good boy, I'll let you tag along for the ride, but if you cross me, I'll shove you so far down you'll never get freed." Sam's mouth smiled. "So enjoy the view! You're about to witness the end of the world from the best seat in the house."

 _No! I can't let that happen!_ It was time to put his plan into effect. If anyone was going to be shoved down in this vessel, it was going to be Lucifer.

Sam collected all his power, and in one big rush of energy, Sam pushed against Lucifer.

Sam's body vibrated with laughter. "Did you really think you could combat against _me_? That's hilarious! But I can't have you distracting me. I did warn you, Sam, but I guess it can't be helped."

Sam felt his consciousness leaving him as he was pushed down, down, down.

"Goodbye Sam."


End file.
